The Cubs’ backs are against the wall for the first time this season after losing to LA in Game 3, 6-0. Clearly missing for the Cubs is their offense that was unable to score for the second straight game.
They will look to finally put one on board and breakout of their slump later tonight, when they face Julio Urias of the Dodgers.
Among those having nightmares at the plate are Anthony Rizzo and Addison Russell, who are a combined 1-for-20 in this NLCS. Kris Bryant, however, has been a bright spot, going 4-for-12 thus far on the series. Rizzo has to get out of his funk for the Cubs to maximize the decent job Bryant and Dexter Fowler are doing in front of him in the batting order. Fowler is 3-for-12 with a homer through three games of the NLCS.
On the mound, meanwhile, for the Cubs is veteran John Lackey. Lackey received a no-decision in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Giants, allowing three earned runs on seven hits in four innings of a 6-5 win at AT&T Park. He hopes to be sharper tonight at Dodger Stadium, where he is 1-2 with a 2.57 in five career starts dating back to 2003.
The Cubs are 2-0 in Lackey’s last two road starts.
Betting on the Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers will throw another lefty starter to face the struggling Chicago side. After shooting blanks against southpaws Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill the past two games, the Cubs will get rookie Julio Urias, who will have his first career postseason start.
Urias, however, threw two scoreless innings in relief in the Dodgers’ 4-3 win back in Game 1 of the NLDS on October 7. This isn’t also going to be Urias’ first test against the Cubs, having faced them twice in the regular season. That includes a 3-2 home win over the Cubs on August 27 in which he allowed just one earned run on six hits, while striking out eight across six innings of mound duty. The Dodgers are 8-2 in Urias’ last 10 starts.
Also doing a fine job are LA’s hitters, who’ve turned on the heat in Game 3. Corey Seager went 3-for-4 in that game, is 4-for-11 on the series. Adrian Gonzalez, on the other hand, is 3-for-11 with three RBI’s since the series began. As an additional note, Gonzalez is 7-for-20 with four RBI’s in his career opposite Lackey.
