Mets have pair of X-factors in Gsellman, Lugo

NEW YORK — Should the Mets beat Madison Bumgarner and the Giants to win the National League Wild Card Game on Wednesday, their reward will be a best-of-five Division Series against the 103-win Cubs — baseball’s best team by no small margin.

Anyone who has watched October baseball knows beating the game’s best is far from impossible — it happens more often than not. But the Mets likely won’t come close to defending their NL pennant without strong performances from Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman, the two rookie pitchers who have kept their season afloat. The Mets’ X-factors this postseason, Lugo and Gsellman could make the difference between a deep October run and an early exit.

If the gravity of that responsibility is affecting them, they’re not showing it.

“Everyone keeps asking me that,” Gsellman said, laughing off the pressure of starting critical games in October. “It hasn’t really kicked in yet. But it’s fun.”

Date Time Matchup TV Oct. 5 8 p.m. ET SF @ NYM ESPN Shop for postseason gear: Giants | Mets • Complete Postseason coverage

This should be a fun experience for Gsellman, who ended the season with his two best starts yet: a combined 13 innings of one-run ball spanning two victories, with 15 strikeouts and three walks. A 13th-round Draft pick in 2011, Gsellman relies on his mid-90s sinker to generate ground balls at an …

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