Cubs vs. Dodgers Series Preview (Apr 10-13): TV and Game Info, Pitching Matchups, Insights
The Cubs come home to Wrigley after spending the first week of the season in St. Louis and Milwaukee (which is essentially Wrigley North at this point). When they return to Chicago, there will be some fanfare awaiting them. As you might know, the Cubs won the World Series last season. Subsequently, they will be receiving a warm welcome on Monday, April 10, and their World Series rings on Wednesday, April 12.
The Cubs ran a contest over the winter to give 20 fans the opportunity to serve as honorary ring bearers, which I think is pretty darn sweet. The pregame festivities on Monday will begin at 6:15 pm.
Last season the Cubs went 4-3 (3-1 at Wrigley) against the Dodgers in the regular season and won the NLCS in 6 games against them. The record belies the fact that it was a fairly lopsided season series, with the Cubs scoring 38 runs and the Dodgers scoring a paltry 16 over seven games. Two of the Cubs’ losses were by one run.
The Cubs seem to be favored on paper, but since baseball is played on a field that has no paper we can’t gauge how the series will go. That being said, the Cubs are in a pretty good position to take at least two of the three games.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
Monday, April 10th; 7:05 PM CST on ESPN
Wednesday, April 12th; 7:05 PM CST on ABC-7
Thursday, April 13th; 1:20 PM CST on CSN-C
Starting Pitchers (*2016 stats)
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | K/BB |
| 4/10 | Jon Lester* | 33 | L | 2.44 | 19-5 | 3.79 |
| Alex Wood* | 26 | L | 3.73 | 1-4 | 1.00 | |
| 4/12 | John Lackey* | 38 | R | 3.35 | 11-8 | 3.40 |
| Brandon McCarthy* | 33 | R | 4.95 | 2-3 | 1.69 | |
| 4/13 | Brett Anderson | 29 | L | 1.59 | 0-0 | 4.00 |
| Hyun-Jin Ryu | 30 | L | 3.86 | 0-1 | 5.00 |
What To Watch For
- Keep an eye out for the Dodgers bats against Lester Monday and Anderson on Thursday. They have had issues hitting against lefties so far, with Cubs legend Clayton Richard throwing 8 shutout innings against them earlier in the season.
- Jason Heyward is off to a great start this season. He looks much more comfortable at the plate so far, has had better at-bats, and is getting on base at a higher rate. If he can continue on that path, he’ll show why the Cubs signed him to such a large contract.
- Lester had some issues locating his pitches in the Opening Day start against St. Louis, and the opposition often had him in deep counts. He ended up lasting only 5 innings while throwing 102 pitches. His stat line for that game was fine, but it could have been much worse. Look for him to be more efficient on the mount on Monday.
