Cubs vs Dodgers Series Preview (May 3-5): TV and Game Info, Starting Pitchers, Insights
The Cubs’ (11-16) pitching fell apart during a rough 2-5 road trip through Atlanta and Cincinnati during which the rotation was the real sore spot. The starters allowed an unsightly 30 runs in just 28 innings of work on the trip, so now the beleaguered staff is rewarded with three games against the mighty Dodgers.
Los Angeles (17-12) has had their own issues, going 4-10 after a sizzling 13-3 run to open the season. The arms have been outstanding with the third-best ERA (3.00) in all of baseball. Front-line aces Walker Buehler, Trevor Bauer, and Clayton Kershaw are all off to good starts.
Justin Turner is hitting well in the early going, slamming six homers to go with a .999 OPS. Cody Bellinger remains out with a hairline leg fracture but Mookie Betts and Corey Seager are good to go. Dodgers hitters may see Cubs starters as the perfect foe to get healthy against.
I’m not going to sugarcoat this, the Cubs are playing like a rebuilding team right now. Nothing is set in stone yet and it’s only game 28 of 162, but these skids can build on themselves. Suddenly, you’re 20 games under in July and Jed Hoyer is having a garage sale at Gallagher Way. They may possibly be able to prevent that with some wins, or they can at least offer a more enjoyable product to watch.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Monday, May 3 at 6:40pm CT on MLB Network and Marquee
- Tuesday, May 4 at 6:40pm CT on Marquee
- Wednesday, May 5 at 6:40pm CT on ESPN and Marquee
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 5/3 | Kyle Hendricks | 31 | R | 7.54 | 1-3 | 8.30 | 2.63 |
| Walker Buehler | 26 | R | 3.16 | 1-0 | 3.06 | 15.50 | |
| 5/4 | Adbert Alzolay | 26 | R | 4.71 | 1-2 | 3.76 | 3.83 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 33 | L | 2.09 | 4-2 | 2.47 | 7.80 | |
| 5/5 | Jake Arrieta | 35 | R | 4.31 | 3-3 | 462 | 2.33 |
| Trevor Bauer | 30 | R | 2.48 | 3-1 | 3.57 | 6.83 |
What to Watch For
- Javy Báez is starting to connect with fastballs and is hopefully heating up.
- Nico Hoerner got five more hits in Cincinnati as he stays locked in.
- Kershaw is having a throwback season so far in 2021.
- Kris Bryant is more fire than man at this point. He had three homers against the Reds.
