GAME THREAD CUBS/DODGERS LCS

fun watching a game like this when i've got no emotional investment

 

that would be awesome

 

good call

thread closed until tomorrow
go here to post: http://www.dailysportspages.com/index.php?threads/news-rumors-thread.8757/

 

great thread [sarcasm]
lcs thread re-opened

 

Dodgers vs. Cubs: 2017 NLCS snapshot
by Eric Stephen | True Blue LA — 90 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers have a playoff rematch from last year, playing the Cubs in the 2017 NLCS. Here is an overview look at both teams heading into the best-of-seven series, beginning on Saturday in Los Angeles.

Teams: Dodgers (104-58) vs. Cubs (92-70)
Split records: Dodgers 57-24 at home, 47-34 on road | Cubs 48-33 at home, 44-37 on road
Run differential: Dodgers +190 (1st in NL), Cubs +127 (4th in NL)
Runs scored: Dodgers 4.75 per game (6th), Cubs 5.07 (2nd)
OPS+: Dodgers 103 (2nd), Cubs 100 (3rd)
wRC+: Dodgers 104 (1st), Cubs 101 (2nd)
Runs allowed: Dodgers 3.58 (1st), Cubs 4.39 (4th)
ERA+: Dodgers 124 (2nd), Cubs 111 (4th)
Last 10 [regular season] games: Dodgers 8-2, Cubs 7-3
Last 20 [regular season] games: Dodgers 12-8, Cubs 15-5
Last 30 [regular season] games: Dodgers 13-17, Cubs 20-10
2017 head-to-head record: 4-2 Dodgers (3-0 in LA)

 

Cubs/Dodgers NLCS umpiring crew
by Eric Stephen | True Blue LA — updated 1 hour ago


Angel Hernandez and Joe West will not be part of the Cubs/Dodgers NLCS umpiring crew

LOS ANGELES — Major League Baseball on Thursday announced umpires for both League Championship Series, and the NLCS umpires will be headed by crew chief Mike Winters.

This is the sixth LCS for Winters, who is in his 28th season in the majors. Winters has also worked four World Series, 10 Division Series and four wild card games. Winters begins the series at second base; here is the rest of the crew, with their Game 1 assignments:

HP: Lance Barksdale
1B: Todd Tichenor
2B: Winters
3B: Jim Wolf
LF: Bill Welke
RF: Alfonso Marquez​

Eric Cooper will be on replay review for the first two games, with Barksdale taking replay duties from Game 3 through the end of the NLCS.

Wolf, the brother of old friend Randy Wolf, worked the 2015 NLDS between the Dodgers and Mets. Welke and Marquez worked the 2016 NLCS between the Dodgers and Cubs.

Dodgers Game 1 starter Clayton Kershaw is 0-3 with a 7.64 ERA in three starts with Barksdale behind the plate in his career, though he hasn’t started such a game since 2013.

Game 1 of the NLCS is Saturday night at Dodger Stadium at 5:08 p.m. PT, and will be televised by TBS.

 

this is essential
don't want to give those fucks any momentum
we are the better team
if we play to our capabilities we'll be fine

 

was thinking the same thing
quintana threw only 12 pitches

 

Dodgers feel better-equipped for Cubs this time
by Ken Gurnick | MLB.com — 1 hour ago

LOS ANGELES -- In 2016, the Cubs won 18 more regular-season games than the Dodgers, enjoyed the home-field advantage as they beat the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, and ended more than a century-long franchise World Series drought.

In 2017, the Dodgers won 18 more regular-season games than the Cubs, enjoy the home-field advantage in the postseason, and now face the Cubs in a rematch of last year's NLCS presented by Camping World that opens on Saturday, trying to end a decades-long franchise World Series drought.

"Our guys this year, as they were last year, are focused," said manager Dave Roberts. "It does help when you're the winningest team from this year and we've showed how good we can be when we play our brand of baseball. We're a confident group, and understand we still have a lot of work to do."

They just didn't have to work as hard as the Cubs to get that rematch, as Chicago held on for a 9-8 win over the Nationals late Thursday in Game 5 of the NLDS presented by T-Mobile.

The Dodgers were 3-0 against the Cubs at home in May (beating Jake Arrieta, John Lackey and Jon Lester) and 1-2 on the road in April (when the Dodgers pitchers of record were Sergio Romo, Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu).

The teams have similar approaches to winning, based on the stats. The Dodgers were first in team ERA, the Cubs fourth. The Dodgers were third in on-base percentage and fourth in slugging percentage, the Cubs first and fifth. The Dodgers were first in walks, the Cubs second. The Dodgers were 14th and the Cubs 15th in runners left on base.

"The Cubs, obviously the defending world champs, so there's a lot to be said for having been there, done that," said Roberts. "It's virtually the same group [as last year]. They've got guys led by [Kyle] Hendricks, Lester, [Jose] Quintana, they can pitch and compete. The lineup is a grind-you-out sort of lineup. They play defense."

Last year's NLCS turned into a disaster for the Dodgers. After leading the best-of-seven series, 2-1, they lost three straight when the offense went cold, the defense got sloppy and the starting pitchers couldn't keep Cubs' bats from finally breaking out.

"I just think this is a different year," said Roberts, who added that Cody Bellinger is a game-changer the team didn't have last year, but also noted the improvement in Yasiel Puig and new bullpen weapon in Kenta Maeda.

The Dodgers couldn't even get out of Wrigley Field after losing Game 6, forced by authorities to shelter in place in the cramped clubhouse for an extra hour while local officials devised an escape route through the Wrigleyville neighborhood, which was overrun with Cubs zealots celebrating their team's first World Series appearance since 1945.

The Dodgers hit .210 with a .593 OPS in the series, were outscored 30-17 (and 23-5 in the last three games), outslugged seven homers to four, and committed seven errors to three for the Cubs.

But as Roberts reminded the club after Monday night's clinching in Arizona, they are on a mission.

"From the beginning of Spring Training, we said we knew we were the best team in all of baseball," he said. "We proved it this series. Eight more wins to go."

 

they're solid
but no comparison [on paper] with the nats

 

and no more excuses for kershaw's postseason woes
he needs to step up