LOS ANGELES -- Greetings from beautiful Dodger Stadium as we get set for Game 2 of the National League Championship Series. The Dodgers hold a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series for the NL pennant. Here's how to watch Game 2. Onto the lineups.
Visiting Cubs (92-70; 3-3)
- Jon Jay, LF
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Willson Contreras, C
- Albert Almora, CF
- Addison Russell, SS
- Jason Heyward, RF
- Javier Baez, 2B
- Jon Lester, LHP
Joe Maddon switches things up from Game 1 against a lefty, this time going with Heyward instead of Kyle Schwarber in the seven-hole. Schwarber is a career .159/.270/.312 hitter against lefties. Heyward also swings left-handed, but he's a far superior defender and the alignment of Jay in LF, Almora in CF and Heyward in RF is probably the best the Cubs can do out there.
Again, be ready for Ben Zobrist to either slot right in the five-hole or double-switch in for Almora once the Dodgers take Hill out in favor of a right-handed reliever.
In terms of the pitching, Lester is going on short rest, but his last outing was just 3 2/3 innings in relief.
Also, Maddon didn't have a full arsenal of relievers in Game 1, but he should in this one. Expect to see Pedro Strop, Carl Edwards, Brian Duensing and Wade Davis instead of the guys who threw in Game 1.
Home Dodgers (104-58; 4-0)
- Chris Taylor, CF
- Justin Turner, 3B
- Cody Bellinger, 1B
- Enrique Hernandez, LF
- Logan Forsythe, 2B
- Austin Barnes, C
- Yasiel Puig, RF
- Charlie Culberson, SS
- Rich Hill, LHP
Given that the Dodgers are facing another lefty in Lester, it's not surprising to see Dave Roberts stick with the same group. Hernandez crushes lefties and Forsythe hits them well, so even if it looks like a not-too-imposing middle, it's fine.
It wouldn't be surprising to see Roberts use a relatively quick hook on Hill and go with the same bullpen setup as Game 1 (Kenta Maeda, Brandon Morrow, Tony Watson, Kenley Jansen with Tony Cingrani as a LOOGY) given that Game 1 came after four days off. Those guys should still be fresh enough.
