Well-rested Cubs have momentum on their side

NLCS preview: Chicago Cubs vs. New York Mets

Offense

The Chicago Cubs are the National League version of the Toronto Blue Jays, only with a lot younger talent. They bludgeoned the Cardinals with 12 home runs in the division series, the highlight being a six-homer game. Third baseman Kris Bryant is the likely Rookie of the Year, and rookie Kyle Schwarber has attained legendary status in Chicago after his homer in Game 4 of the National League Division Series landed on the scoreboard. The Cubs will miss shortstop Addison Russell. The Mets have a formidable top four in the batting order of Curtis Granderson, David Wright, clutch hitter Daniel Murphy (73 RBIs in regular season) and Yoenis Cespedes. He had the decisive homer in Game 5 of the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Advantage: Cubs

Pitching

The big news in the Chicago series against St. Louis was that Cy Young favorite Jake Arrieta was hittable. But that may have been more a blip than anything else. The Cubs will rely on Arrieta and playoff veteran Jon Lester for four games in the series. The Chicago bullpen is good too, with former Rangers Justin Grimm (1.99 ERA) and Pedro Strop (2.91 ERA) playing key roles. The Mets boast the 1-2 pitching duo of right-handers Jacob deGrom and Matt Harvey. Although they’re both young, they didn’t wilt under the playoff lights in the NLDS. Closer Jeurys Familia may be the best closer in the NL. He had a 1.85 ERA in the regular season and has two saves with no hits allowed in the NLDS. Advantage: Even

Intangibles

Is it possible that the wild-card team is overconfident? After all, the Cubs are 7-0 against the Mets and were the only team that didn’t need to go five games in their division series. They’re also well-rested. But they’re also hungry, as any Cubs’ fan can tell you the last World Series title came 107 years ago. The Mets have some solid mojo going for them, bouncing back from a Game 4 loss to the Dodgers to win in Los Angeles in Game 5. The Mets haven’t won a World Series title since 1986. Advantage: Cubs

Prediction: Cubs in five. The Cubs have momentum on their side and Ernie Banks watching down on them. Also they were a better regular-season team than the Mets. Despite New York having home-field advantage, the Cubs are just a better offensive team all around. That gives them the final edge in a series that features two evenly matched pitching staffs.

This story was originally published October 16, 2015 at 12:02 PM with the headline "Well-rested Cubs have momentum on their side."