The National League Division Series are set.
Washington will take on the Dodgers after winning a dramatic wild-card game 4-3 over the Brewers and the Cardinals will face off with the Braves.
Both series start Thursday as the Braves and Cardinals play at 5:02 p.m. ET and the Dodgers and Nationals face off at 8:37 p.m. ET. Both games will be on TBS.
Here is your 2019 NLDS Preview:
2019 NLDS storylines
Will Dallas Keuchel be the key to the Braves taking the next step?: This is why the Braves went out and signed Keuchel in the middle of the season. The lefty got World Series experience wth the Astros and made multiple appearances in the postseason with Houston. He gives the Braves a veteran for their rotation to send out in Game 1 of the NLDS and possibly for a second time in Game 4 or 5. But will he be what they need to advance to the next round? Or will he struggle as he did in his final few outings in the playoffs for Houston (4.43 ERA last four appearances)?
Can the Nationals hit consistently in their matchup with the Dodgers?: While Max Scherzer can catch some flak for lackluster postseason performances with the Nationals, it has truly been the lineup that has let Washington down in the playoffs over the last few years. Since 2014, Washington has averaged 3.8 runs per game in the playoffs, scoring three runs or fewer in seven of their 15 games. The Dodgers have a solid pitching staff. Will the lineup do enough to support a rotation that will likely keep the Nationals in all of their games?
2019 NLDS players to watch
Jack Flaherty, SP, Cardinals — The 23-year-old righty might have been the best pitcher in MLB down the stretch in 2019. In the second half, Flaherty put up a 0.91 ERA and 0.71 WHIP in 99 1/3 innings. He won't get to start Game 1 on Thursday, but he will likely pitch Game 2 on Friday and will either have a chance to send the Cardinals back to St. Louis tied 1-1 or up 2-0.
Kenley Jansen, CP, Dodgers — The Dodgers decided to stand pat at the deadline and did not go out and get either an additional closer in the market or at least a man who could step in and take over in case Jansen struggled. Los Angeles' closer posted a career-worst 3.71 ERA this year while blowing a career-high eight saves. This could easily be seen as an anomaly with hope that he'll get over it in the playoffs, but in the last two years he has had some serious postseason breakdowns. He has posted a 3.55 ERA with four home runs allowed in nine appearances in the World Series over the last two years. Jansen struggled again during the regular season. The Nationals showed in the wild-card game they can get to good closers in the late innings. Will that factor into the series?
2019 NLDS predictions
Braves over the Cardinals in five games — The Braves have an odd advantage in this one: the Cardinals haven't faced Keuchel or Max Fried yet this season. The one pitcher they will definitely face in the playoffs is Mike Soroka and he dominated them to a tune of a 0.69 ERA in 13 innings (two starts) this season. But the Cardinals have had success with their pitching as well, so this will come down to the two lineups. The Braves' lineup is better. They tasted the postseason last year and their young hitters have more experience under their belt. That will be the difference.
Nationals over the Dodgers in five games — We admit it, this is bold, but we just like the Nationals' starting rotation too much to think it will lose with the way it's set up. The Dodgers have to face Patrick Corbin in Game 1. He shut out Los Angeles over seven innings in his lone start against them this season and Los Angeles showed massive vulnerability in matchups against lefties in the playoffs all of last year. Now, it addressed that by playing Cody Bellinger every day — matchups be damned — but this year the Dodgers were not as good against lefties as they were righties. But beyond that the Dodgers will have to face Stephen Strasburg in Game 2 and he is an absolute beast in the postseason. Los Angeles could easily be down 2-0 going back to Washington. But as we said above, the Nationals still have to hit in this series. That is the X-factor. So if they don't then the Dodgers will obviously win. But it is undeniable how well the Nationals' pitching sets up for the NLDS against the Dodgers.