A pair of veteran left-handers duel in Jon Lester and Rich Hill, as the Chicago Cubs look to avoid dropping the first two games to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
Hill’s start against his former club in the NLCS is a second in as many years. He fired six shutout innings in Game 3 of the 2016 NLCS, helping lead the Dodgers to a 2-1 series lead they ultimately squandered.
The 37-year-old isn’t leaning on that success, however, and will instead focus on continuing with his usual aggressive approach. Though, Hill does find some excitement in facing the defending World Series champions.
“It’s great,” he said. “Any time you get the opportunity to play and compete against the best, I think it’s something that everybody who is a competitor wants to do.
“So it’s something that I’m looking forward to. It’s a great challenge to go out there and, again, just focus in on taking it one pitch at a time and staying in the moment.”
Lester is pitching for a third time this postseason, making a second start. He threw 55 pitches out of the bullpen four days ago. “I’m not worried about it,” Lester said of starting on short rest.
“Just got to do it in the game as opposed to on the side. So I don’t think it’s a problem. This time of year you have to adjust and figure it out.” Lester is a career 9-7 with a 2.57 ERA in 24 postseason games (20 starts).
Included in that was going 1-0, holding Los Angeles to two runs on nine hits, while striking out nine in 13 innings over two starts in last year’s NLCS.
Unlike Hill, Lester did pitch in the six head-to-head meetings between the Cubs and Dodgers this season. He was knocked around some in two outings and went 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA and 1.50 WHIP.
Lester surrendered home runs to Cody Bellinger and Kiké Hernandez, both of whom are in the Dodgers lineup. Bellinger led left-handed batters with 12 home runs off a southpaw.
“I would say ever since 2015 in Rancho I learned something, and it just kind of took that and ran with it,” he said of facing same-side pitching. “I kind of had some success. For whatever reason, I don’t get scared away from a lefty. Just kind of makes me stay within myself a little bit.”
Whereas the Dodgers trot out the same lineup seen in Game 1, the Cubs have a minor change with Jason Heyward starting in right field. That slides Jon Jay over to left field, and Kyle Schwarber to the bench.
Dodgers lineup:
CF: Chris Taylor
3B: Justin Turner
1B: Cody Bellinger
LF: Kiké Hernandez
2B: Logan Forsythe
C: Austin Barnes
RF: Yasiel Puig
SS: Charlie Culberson
P: Rich Hill
Cubs lineup:
LF: Jon Jay
3B: Kris Bryant
1B: Anthony Rizzo
C: Willson Contreras
CF: Albert Almora Jr.
SS: Addison Russell
RF: Jason Heyward
2B: Javier Baez
P: Jon Lester
