After another dominant offensive display, the Los Angeles Dodgers are now one win away from a trip to the World Series.

Los Angeles felt right at home in Queens, beating the Mets 18-2 since the NLCS moved to Citi Field.

With the Amazins on the brink of playoff elimination, they will turn to David Peterson in Game 5 on Friday night, while the Dodgers will counter with Jack Flaherty.

The Mets opted to move Peterson out of the bullpen in October, and considering he hasn’t logged more than three innings in any of his last four appearances in relief, I’m not sure there’s a tougher spot for him to be to make. his first postseason start.

Dodgers Outlook

There has been a lot of discussion this season about the Dodgers’ lack of pitching depth. After all, their staff suffered injuries to starters Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, Dustin May, River Ryan, Tony Gonsolin and Gavin Stone, all of whom are unavailable to pitch in the playoffs.

But even with those injuries, the Dodgers could still have the best starting pitching staff of the four remaining teams competing for a pennant.

Flaherty has fit in quite seamlessly in Los Angeles since arriving from Detroit in a trade. He went 6-2 in 10 starts with the Dodgers, while posting a 3.58 ERA with a WHIP of 1.28.

It was Flaherty who got the Dodgers off to a 1-0 start in the series opener with seven shutout innings in a 9-0 win over the Mets.

The Mets hit just .209 against him in 93 at-bats, with a strikeout rate of 24.7%. They are also winless in their two career games when facing the right-hander.

Mets prospects

While Carlos Mendoza’s decision to start Peterson is risky, I’m not sure he has many other options.

Had starter Kodai Senga looked healthy, he most likely would have been the pitcher who got the ball in such a crucial game.

Senga started Game 1 against the Dodgers, but could not get past the second inning after allowing three runs on two hits and four walks at a significantly slower rate.

Peterson would enter the game in the third inning, but wasn’t much better. In 2 ⅓ innings, he allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits.

Nevertheless, when meeting with the media, Mendoza expressed confidence in Peterson’s ability to pitch in such a crucial game.

‘He’s fully equipped. He’s been one of our starters, one of our best starters,” Mendoza told The Post. “We just feel like he’s going to give us the best chance.”

To be fair, the Mets are 2-1 against the Dodgers with Peterson on the mound. Their lone loss came in a 10-3 rout earlier in May, when the southpaw was making his season debut.

This time around, Peterson will be making his first career postseason start, and this Dodgers lineup rarely allows opposing pitchers to sneak into their games.

Follow The Post’s coverage of the Mets in the postseason:

Dodgers vs. Mets prediction

The Dodgers do a great job of pressuring teams from the very beginning. Shohei Ohtani led off at the plate, followed by Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman in third. All three of these hitters are former MVP winners.

In the last two games at Citi Field, the Dodgers scored a run within the first two innings. Those early runs can deflate the opposition and completely take away the excitement from the home crowd.

The Dodgers have excellent numbers against Peterson. In 72 at-bats, they are hitting .343 with a .420 wOBA and a .620 xSLG.

Peterson will also be the second straight starting southpaw they’ll face, meaning their hitters won’t have to do too much to change their approach.

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The Dodgers have been the better team in this series since the two squads met in the regular season, and I expect them to end this magical Mets run Friday night.

Best bet: Dodgers ML (-135, BetMGM)

Why trust New York Post betting

Michael Arinze handicaps most major sports for the New York Post. He has cashed two 15-leg teasers in his gambling career, as well as a 12-leg parlay featuring eight Little League World Series games. More recently, he carefully chose the finalists of the 2024 European Championships and the Copa America.