LOS ANGELES – As we wait to see the order of Dodgers relievers in Sunday night's bullpen game or whether Freddie Freeman's sprained right ankle will allow him to start at first base, let's look at a few stories related to this one NLCS against the Mets.

Will Smith was hit on his glove hand while catching in Game 5, causing him to suffer a pinch hit in the seventh inning on Friday. Smith has just three hits in 19 at-bats in the NLCS and five hits in 35 at-bats this postseason. But he is not alone. Jay Jaffe of FanGraphs wrote about the major league catchers who struggled together at the plate this October.

Mookie Betts isn't slowing down anymore, with four multi-hit games in his last eight games and going 12-for-34 (1.215 OPS) with four homers, three doubles and 11 RBI since his 0-for-22 postseason skid. He spoke with Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register about his process, including the hundreds of swings you've probably heard about in recent game broadcasts.

The Athletic's Jayson Stark delved into the craziness of the NLCS so far, with so many lopsided final results and various facts and figures.

Finally, a great line from Chelsea Janes in the Washington Post after the Mets won the fifth home game to stay alive: “The 2024 New York Mets are never more alive than when they're almost dead.”

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