Cubs vs. Dodgers 2017 live stream: Time, TV channel, and how to watch NLCS Game 1 online

LOS ANGELES — We have our first National League Championship Series rematch in eight years, with the Los Angeles Dodgers hosting the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium (8 p.m. ET, TBS).

These two teams met in the 2016 NLCS as well, with Chicago prevailing in six games on their way to their first World Series championship in 108 years. This is the 10th time two teams have met in consecutive League Championship Series, and the first since the Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies played each other in 2008 and 2009.

Unlike last year, the Dodgers have home field advantage thanks to finishing with 104 wins, the best record in baseball in 2017. After sweeping the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division Series, the Dodgers are well rested, with ace Clayton Kershaw starting Game 1 with seven days rest.

“Being able to set your rotation, not having to travel the first two games of the series, I think they’re huge advantages,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “That’s the byproduct of having the season that we had.”

The Cubs needed five games to outlast the Washington Nationals in a chaotic NLDS, and will start left-hander Jose Quintana on Saturday night. He last started on Monday, but also faced four batters and threw 12 pitches in relief in the deciding Game 5 against Washington on Thursday night.

After a long and grueling Game 5 win over the Nationals, the Cubs’ flight from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles had to make a stop and was delayed due to a medical situation. More from the Associated Press:

Albuquerque International Sunport spokesman Daniel Jiron said the plane landed in Albuquerque around 5:30 a.m. Friday and a passenger was taken to the hospital. The Cubs said the person was a player’s family member.

Jiron said the crew flying the plane “timed out” and didn’t have any more flying time left, so a second crew had to be brought in to take the flight to Los Angeles. He said the plane left Albuquerque around 10:30 a.m.

Kenta Maeda has switched to a bullpen role for the postseason, and has become a real weapon for the Dodgers, writes Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register:

I think it dates back to – I think it was June when we were juggling through our six starting pitchers and we first put him in the ’pen,” Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi said of the idea that Maeda might be a valuable piece in the bullpen. “Even in that scenario, he came out and I think the first fastball he threw was 94 (mph). Just seeing that kind of lit the light bulb a little bit that this guy’s stuff might play up in the ’pen.

“Once you start talking about a full grade or even more of a velocity uptick we thought it would play pretty well. It’s one thing for the stuff to bump up. It’s another thing for a guy to be able to come into high-leverage situations and be able to execute at a high level. In that sense, he really exceeded expectations and has established himself as a real weapon for us going forward.