MLB on Sling TV: NLDS Game 2 Previews
Cubs at Cardinals (5:35pm ET Saturday, TBS)
The Cardinals took control of their divisional series with a 4-0 win Friday over the Cubs in Game 1, behind a dominant performance from starter John Lackey. Tonight they’ll hand the ball over to Jaime Garcia.
Garcia finally appears to be healthy for the first time since 2011, though his 2015 debut was delayed by off-season shoulder surgery, and he missed 4-5 weeks in June/July. But overall he’s been solid, going 10-6 with a 2.43 ERA, thanks largely to an unsustainably low .270 BABIP and a career low .4 homers per 9. Garcia was lights-out at home this season, with a 1.70 ERA, with a 5.18 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Kyle Hendricks will be pitching for the Cubbies, coming off three strong starts to end the season, as he allowed just 3 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks over 18 innings, while striking out 25. Things didn’t go so well in his lone 2015 start against St. Louis, however, as he gave up 4 runs in just 5 innings, on 6 hits and 2 walks.
Mets at Dodgers (9:05pm ET Saturday, TBS)
In Los Angeles, Zack Greinke will try to dig the Dodgers out of a 1-0 hole against the Mets, following another less-than-great postseason performance from Clayton Kershaw. Greinke, who had a season for the ages, going 19-3 with a 1.66 ERA, had a tough go of it the first year he made the playoffs, in 2011, giving up 15 runs in 16 ⅔ innings over 3 starts. Since then, however, he’s pitched like, well, Zack Greinke in the postseason, posting a 1.93 ERA in 28 innings across four starts.
Noah Syndergaard will try to follow up on a brilliant 13-strikeout performance by Jacob deGrom in a 3-1 Mets victory. Syndergaard is a member in good standing of one of the greatest rookie classes ever, boasting a 9-7 record and a 3.24 ERA in 150 innings. Sydergaard shut down the Dodgers in his one start against, throwing 6 innings of 1-run, 2-hit ball with 6 Ks.
All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
Watch the Chicago Cubs vs. the St. Louis Cardinals at 5:35pm ET Saturday on TBS.
Watch the New York Mets vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers at 9:05 PM ET on TBS.