The Los Angeles Dodgers conclude their three-game series against the Chicago Cubs with a showdown between Jon Lester and Clayton Kershaw. Los Angeles has won consecutive games in shutout fashion, holding the Cubs to five hits in the process.
Sunday’s game is the second time the Dodgers have faced Lester this season. He allowed just one run on four hits over six innings at Wrigley Field in April. Lester did not factor into the decision of a Cubs’ 3-2 victory.
The Dodgers have gotten familiar with the veteran southpaw since last year and there have been multiple moments of odd activity on the basepaths.
While some view Lester as relatively easy to steal a base on considering his inability to effectively throw over to first base, Kiké Hernandez explained why that isn’t the case, via Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times:
“Those numbers don’t lie,” Dodgers utility man Enrique Hernandez said. “You can get a giant lead, and he’s still gonna hold you, hold you, and when he goes, he’s really quick to the plate. And their catcher [Willson Contreras] has a bazooka, so it’s not as easy as it looks.”
In Lester starts during the 2016 National League Championship Series, the Dodgers often jumped — and even danced — out to leads of 15 feet or more at first base. But that was the extent of it.
When the two teams met last month, Joc Pederson at one point got in a sprinter’s stance when taking his lead. Again, there was no stolen base to speak of.
Opponents were 28-for-41 in stolen base attempts off Lester last season. They’re 6-for-14 entering play on Sunday. The Dodgers hardly qualify as a prolific base-stealing team; they rank 21st in the Majors with 19 swiped bags.
Yasiel Puig leads the team with six stolen bases, Chase Utley is behind him with three, and no other player has more than two. Neither are in the lineup against Lester, nor is Pederson as he remains on the concussion disabled list.
Hernandez, who has two stolen bases, is starting at second base and batting fifth.
