Last time we saw Clayton Kershaw pitch for the Dodgers, he came out of the bullpen on one day’s rest to secure the final two outs of the Division Series. Manager Dave Roberts will be calling on his ace once again in Game 2 of the NLCS against the Cubs. The Cubs will have to hope that their star-studded lineup can muster enough offense to earn a win against the best pitcher in baseball right now.
Cubs vs. Dodgers 2016 Live stream: Time, TV schedule, and how to watch NLCS Game 2 online
Clayton Kershaw is expected to pitch for the third time in six days against the Cubs in NLCS Game 2.
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Game 2 will start Sunday at 8:08 p.m. on Fox Sports 1. Joe Buck will handle the play-by-play duties, with John Smoltz providing color commentary and Ken Rosenthal reporting.
The Cubs will be sending an ace of their own to the mound in Kyle Hendricks. Despite ostensibly being the club’s number two starter, the Dartmouth alum has blossomed into a legitimate Cy Young candidate this season, pitching to a 2.13 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. Hendricks also started in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Giants, but left after giving up two runs in 3 2⁄3 innings when a line drive hit him on his right forearm.
With Sunday’s pitching matchup, expect a high number of first-pitch strikes. According to FanGraphs, Hendricks is second among all pitchers with 100 innings or more this season with a 68.6% rate of first-pitch strikes. The only pitcher ahead of him happens to be opposing starter Clayton Kershaw.
Kershaw himself will have to also outperform his historic postseason numbers, as the 28 year-old lefty has a 4.79 ERA in 77 postseason innings, including a career 7.23 ERA in six NLCS appearances.
The Dodgers will likely also be relying on third baseman Justin Turner to sustain the hot streak that helped him lead the team past the Nationals in the NLDS. Turner was 6-15 with a home run and five RBI in the Division Series, including an astonishing .591 on-base percentage in 22 total plate appearances.
The Cubs, meanwhile, will at the very least need to sustain the timely hitting that carried them past the Giants. The Cubs hit just .200 as a team in the NLDS, but were able to rely on convenient home runs, including Javier Baez’s game-winning home run in Game 1 and Kris Bryant’s game-tying home run in Game 3. Baez and Bryant both hit .375 in the Division Series, but the rest of the Cubs’ potent lineup fell largely silent at the hands of the Giants’ staff. In order to pull out the win Sunday night and in the NLCS at large, the Cubs’ bats will have to wake up.
How to Watch NLCS Game 2
When: 8:08 p.m. ET
Where: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Ill.
TV: FS1
Streaming: Fox Sports Go and Postseason.tv
Radio: ESPN Radio
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