The National League Championship Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers has already featured plenty of drama despite being just two games old. In the opener, Cubs catcher Wilson Contreras appeared to complete a tag at home plate, until the Dodgers challenged the call, Contreras was found to have blocked the plate while not holding the ball, and the Dodger rally continued — and they won. In Game Two, things were tied at a run apiece until Justin Turner belted a home run to dead center, 29 years to the day after Kirk Gibson had a heroic home run for the Dodgers in the World Series. Now that the series shifts to Wrigley, the Cubs look to get momentum going back their way down 2-0. Take a look at our MLB lines for Game 3 of the NLCS.
Alex Avila and Ben Zobrist are the only CUbs who have seen Yu Darvish more than four times, due to Avila’s time with the Detroit Tigers and Zobrist’s time in Tampa Bay with the Rays. Avila has a .231 lifetime average, while Zobrist has batted just .167 against him. Anthony Rizzo, Leonys Martin and Tommy La Stella also have hits off Darvish, but other than that, Darvish will either be facing the Cub hitters for the first time, or they are looking for their first career hit off him. When Darvish is struggling, he leaves that fastball out over the heart of the plate, or he can’t find the plate, which means you can lay off his curve ball. If you like the Cubs, you think Darvish might blink under the pressure of the NLCS.
LA Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs MLB Lines & Pick for NLCS Game 3
When: Tuesday, October 17, 2017, 8:01pm ET Where: Wrigley Field, Chicago TV: TBS Radio: ESPN Radio Live Stream: MLB.tv MLB Lines: Cubs -125 Pitching Matchup: Yu Darvish (10-12, 3.86 ERA) (LA) vs Kyle Hendricks (7-5, 3.03 ERA) (CHI)#ThisTeam CAN’T STOP, WON’T STOP. pic.twitter.com/fQeP0Lm7X3
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 16, 2017
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Why should you bet on the Dodgers?
Yu Darvish’s negative win-loss record stems mostly from his time with the Texas Rangers this season, when he was prone to give up home runs at just the wrong time. Since coming to Chavez Ravine, Darvish’s pitching has taken on new life. In Game Three of the NLDS against Arizona, he pitched five solid innings, fanning seven and permitting just a single run on a pair of hits. This will be his second career start ever against the Cubs — he faced them in interleague play back in 2016, permitting a pair of runs in 4 ⅓ innings. The Dodgers have seen Kyle Hendricks before, but not too many times — none of the regulars have more than nine career at-bats against him, and only two of them have more than seven. Justin Turner, that hero of Game Two, is the only Dodger who has taken Hendricks deep in his career, but given his big bat in Game Two, he’s definitely got to be licking his chops coming into this game at hitter-friendly Wrigley. If you like the Dodgers, then you think that Darvish’s knee-buckling curve ball will continue to mystify batters, and you also think that the Dodger bats — which did just enough to win Game Two — will send Hendricks packing early.Why should you put your money on the Cubs?
Kyle Hendricks has had one terrific start this postseason — and one forgettable one. In the opener of the Cubs’ NLDS against Washington, he threw seven shutout innings. However, in Game Five, he only lasted four innings, permitting four runs on nine hits. Hendricks did take the hill against the Dodgers in the NLCS a year ago, and he threw 7 ⅓ shutout innings in Game Six, sending the Cubs to a win — and a trip to the World Series. Hendricks has been one of the more durable Cub pitchers in the last two postseasons, so the Cubs have as good a chance with him on the hill as they do with any of their other starters.
Alex Avila and Ben Zobrist are the only CUbs who have seen Yu Darvish more than four times, due to Avila’s time with the Detroit Tigers and Zobrist’s time in Tampa Bay with the Rays. Avila has a .231 lifetime average, while Zobrist has batted just .167 against him. Anthony Rizzo, Leonys Martin and Tommy La Stella also have hits off Darvish, but other than that, Darvish will either be facing the Cub hitters for the first time, or they are looking for their first career hit off him. When Darvish is struggling, he leaves that fastball out over the heart of the plate, or he can’t find the plate, which means you can lay off his curve ball. If you like the Cubs, you think Darvish might blink under the pressure of the NLCS.
