The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs played 19 innings worth of baseball on Tuesday, with both clubs struggling to hit with runners in scoring position and playing to a stalemate as they split the doubleheader.
Now the three-game set at Wrigley Field concludes with another early afternoon start and both teams vying for a series victory. The Dodgers have not lost any of their last nine series and are an impressive 12-4 during the month of June.
They figure to be in good hands Wednesday as Ross Stripling takes the mound for his 20th game (10th start) of the year. He enters 6-1 with a 1.76 ERA, 2.41 FIP and 1.01 WHIP.
Stripling has completed at least five innings while notching a minimum of seven strikeouts in his past seven outings.
While Stripling has pitched like an ace this season, he’s opposed by a bonafide one in Jon Lester. The veteran lefty is 8-2 with a 2.28 ERA, 4.19 FIP and 1.08 WHIP in 14 starts this season.
Whereas Stripling enters with a six-game winning streak, Lester has won his last four decisions. Per tradition, there figures to be a cat-and-mouse game on the basepaths if or when the Dodgers have men reach against Lester.
Coming off a three-hit game, Logan Forsythe is batting fifth in the lineup. Over 16 games (12 starts) during June, he’s hitting .295/.360/.477 with five doubles, one home run and five RBI.
Dodgers lineup:
SS: Chris Taylor
CF: Kiké Hernandez
3B: Justin Turner
LF: Matt Kemp
2B: Logan Forsythe
1B: Max Muncy
C: Yasmani Grandal
RF: Yasiel Puig
P: Ross Stripling
Cubs lineup:
3B: Kris Bryant
RF: Jason Heyward
2B: Ben Zobrist
1B: Anthony Rizzo
CF: Albert Almora Jr.
LF: Kyle Schwarber
C: Willson Contreras
SS: Javier Baez
P: Jon Lester
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