Cubs-Indians World Series Game 1: How to watch, live stream info, expert picks, predictions

Let's set the stage for the first game of the 2016 World Series in Cleveland

By Dayn Perry

Oct 25, 2016 at 5:03 pm ET • 3 min read

Tuesday night occasions the opening game of the 2016 World Series between the Cubs and the Indians at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

Here's how you can watch Game 1:

Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
Streaming: Fox Sports Go and MLB.tv

Historically, the winner of Game 1 goes on to take the whole series 64.1 percent of the time, so needless to say the two teams in question would love a 1-0 lead in this best-of-seven affair. As for the pitching matchup, the visiting Cubs will send out lefty Jon Lester -- Cy Young candidate in the NL -- to oppose right-hander Corey Kluber -- Cy Young candidate in the AL.

Jon Lester (19-5, 2.44) vs. Indians

You see Lester's sparkling ERA above, which he authored over 202 2/3 innings. Along the way, he also registered a K/BB ratio of 3.79. Those are strong numbers, but he has been on another level this postseason. In three starts across the 2016 NLDS and NLCS, Lester has put up an ERA of 0.86 with 14 strikeouts against just two walks. For his troubles, he shared NLCS MVP honors with Javier Baez. Consider that to be part of his overall strong postseason rÃ©sumÃ©: a 2.50 ERA and 3.74 K/BB ratio across 19 games, 17 of which have been starts.

The Indians this season have not been particularly effective against left-handed pitching, and Lester is of course one of the most suffocating lefty starters in all of baseball. That said, he must keep Cleveland off the bases. The 2016 Indians are very good at stealing bases and very good at taking the extra base. Lester, meantime, is famously bad at holding runners. The challenge for Cleveland is to make it that first 90 feet, which hasn't been easy against Lester, especially lately.

Players currently on the Indians' roster have combined to hit .290/.353/.468 against Lester for their careers, but only Rajai Davis has more than 19 plate appearances against him.

Corey Kluber (18-9, 3.14) vs. Cubs

It was another stellar season for Kluber, as he put up an AL-leading ERA+ of 149 and a K/BB ratio of 3.98 in 215 innings. His FIP of 3.26 also paced the AL. Kluber has made three postseason starts in his career, all in 2016, and he has been excellent over those 18 1/3 innings: 0.98 ERA, 20 strikeouts. Also keep in mind that one of those starts came on short rest. In Game 1 against Chicago, he'll be going on six days' rest.

While the Cubs' offense isn't as weak against right-handers as the Indians' offense is against lefties, they're not as effective. Given the excellence of Lester and Kluber and the relative decline seen by the opposing offenses against pitchers of their handedness, runs may be hard to come by in Game 1.

CBS Sports Predictions

Picking the score of a single baseball game is of course a fool's errands, so these fools have undertaken that errand. Here's how we see Game 1 going on Tuesday night ...

Game 1	Winner	Score	Commentary
R.J. Anderson		3-2	Kluber outduels Lester and the Indians' speed makes the difference.
Mike Axisa		5-1	The Cubs keep hitting, and an early lead against Kluber makes the Miller-Allen combo moot.
Jonah Keri		4-1	Kluber-Miller-Allen-Game Over.
Dayn Perry		6-3	A fully rested Kluber keeps Cubs in check, and the Indians get on base enough to take advantage of Lester.
Bill Reiter		5-3	Cubs bats stay hot, the Cubs get to Kluber and Lester continues to lock down the opposition in the postseason.
Matt Snyder		5-1	Just as the Giants and Dodgers found out against Jon Lester, you can't steal first base. Meanwhile, the Cubs offense stays hot behind a rejuvenated Anthony Rizzo, who gets to Corey Kluber for a timely multi-run homer. With a lead heading into the middle innings, the Cubs don't have to worry about Andrew Miller or Cody Allen.