Giants @ Cubs: Cueto vs Lester (Game 163; NLDS Game 1)
Cubs 1, Giants 0
W: Lester (1-0); L: Cueto (0-1); S: Chapman (1)
Cubs lead series: 1-0
PREVIEW
SF (0-0): RHP Johnny Cueto (0-0, —-)
CHC (0-0): LHP Jon Lester (0-0, —-)
First pitch: 8:00pmCST
Lester (19-5, 2.44 for the season) lost in Cincinnati on Saturday (5 IP, 5 ER, 6 K, 3 BB). After being so strong down the stretch, it was good to have him get his clunker game out of the way. He was 10-2 with a 1.74 at Wrigley this season and pitched twice against the Giants this year, going 1-1 with a 4.63. For their careers, the Giants are 22-100 (.222) against him. Posey is 5-16 with a HR.
Cueto (18-5, 2.79) beat the Rockies for his fourth straight win on Thursday, giving up 2 ER in 7 innings and striking out 11. He had a no-decision at Wrigley on September 4 (7 IP, 1 ER, 5 K, 1 BB). The Cubs don’t have great numbers against him. Overall, they are 26-141 (.184). The likely line-up is: Fowler (3-16), Bryant (3-5), Rizzo (3-25 with a HR, yikes), Zobrist (0-8), Russell (3-6), Heyward (4-18), Baez (0-6), and Ross (1-4).
In his 16 postseason appearances, Lester is 6-6 with a 2.85 ERA. Cueto has 7 postseason games, going 2-3 with a 5.35, including nine innings of one-run ball in Game Two of last year’s World Series sweep of the Mets.
The Giants had a great first half (57-33), but after the ASG, not so much (30-42). They are certainly not a 103-win team. That’s why Westgate SuperBook has the Cubs (9-5) as the favorites to win the World Series. The Red Sox are next at 9-1. The lowly Giants are the long(er) shots at 12-1.
The Chat will be a hoppin’, but BYOB.
Samardzija (probably) versus Hendricks tomorrow at 7:00pmCST.
Go Cubs!
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