NEW YORK -- Earlier, we went game by game looking back at the Cubs' regular-season dominance of the Mets in 2015 -- they posted a 7-0 record, outscoring New York 27-11 -- but we all know the playoffs are a different animal. And even more so for these two teams.

Cubs beat writer Jesse Rogers and Mets beat writer Adam Rubin break down the differences between mid-October and those two series from before the All-Star break.

Rogers: Despite a winning record at the time, the Cubs look a lot different than they did when sweeping the Mets in their season series, completed in early July. Remember, the Cubs were only seven games over .500 at the time -- a far cry from the 32-over at which they finished the season.

What's different? Let's start with rookie masher Kyle Schwarber. He was in the minors when these teams last played, getting called up for good after the All-Star break. Schwarber hit 15 home runs with a .352 on-base percentage in the second half and has three more long balls in the postseason. He's a difference-maker in the middle of the Cubs' lineup.

Also different is the Cubs' middle infield. At the time of the Mets series, a struggling Starlin Castro was the Cubs' starter at shortstop. Since, he has been benched and then moved over to second base, where he has thrived. Castro led baseball with a .426 September batting average. His replacement, Addison Russell, is injured, and his backup, Javier Baez, is a former first-round pick who has loads of potential. Baez was also in the minors when the teams last met.

Finally, since the Mets last saw starter Jake Arrieta, he has elevated his game to Cy Young Award-worthy status. Including his victory over New York on July 2, Arrieta is 17-1 with a 0.89 ERA since. Before that game, he was 7-5 with a 2.94 ERA. He has taken his game to another level, as have the Cubs, who went 46-19 to finish the season.

Rubin: Yes, the Mets went 0-7 against the Cubs during the regular season. But that record is immaterial now.

All of those games were played between May 11 and July 2.

David Wright missed the entire season series because he was rehabbing a back injury. Travis d'Arnaud was on the shelf, too. Michael Conforto and Steven Matz had yet to be promoted from the minors. And Yoenis Cespedes, Kelly Johnson, Tyler Clippard and Addison Reed had not yet been acquired in four separate trades.

Meanwhile, Noah Syndergaard is a far more mature pitcher now than when he made his major league debut on May 12 at Wrigley Field and surrendered three runs in 5⅓ innings.

"In looking at the pitching, I think that our young guys are a little more experienced, a little better command, [with] more confidence," Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said. "So, I think, from that standpoint we're in a better position. Offensively, it's a different team -- not totally, but significantly. So I don't think that 0-7 registers much concern on the part of our players. But we certainly have to turn that around. We'd like to be 4-10 at the end of this with the Cubs."