Our pick for the NLCS

After extending their season with one highlight after another over the last two weeks, the Mets will face their biggest challenge to maintain their dream run when they take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

The best-of-seven series begins with Game 1 in Los Angeles on Sunday at 8:08 p.m. at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers won the season series and won four of the six meetings between the two teams, but had not played each other since late May. This is a very different Mets team that includes the spark of Jose Iglesias, the growing influence of Mark Vientos and the newly injured Kodai Senga.

These Dodgers did not have Clayton Kershaw or Tony Gonsolin to potentially return in any capacity in this series. But what they lack in starting pitching ability, they make up for with one of the most explosive offenses in baseball. The core of Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez helped produce the MLB’s best team OPS and 98 regular-season wins.