One road team has already snatched the early momentum in a pair of National League Division Series that look primed to go the distance entering Saturday's Game 2 action.
The New York Mets are riding high after surprising Dodger Stadium and winning the series opener 3-1 over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jacob deGrom outdueled Clayton Kershaw in a true battle on the mound, but both teams have their own stud ace waiting in the wings for Game 2.
While they have tilted home-field advantage in their favor, the Chicago Cubs couldn't do the same and face an early hole to St. Louis. Heading into Saturday's slate, take a look below for all the relevant information.
Saturday, Oct. 10, NLDS Schedule and Odds
Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.
Game 2: New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers
It's usually been up to Kershaw in his career to bail out his team, but now he'll have to hope another pitcher can do the bailing out.
After Kershaw couldn't come up with a series-opening victory, the onus falls on Zack Greinke in Game 2 at Dodger Stadium. If he doesn't come up big and put together a masterful outing, L.A. is likely to be headed to New York in an 0-2 hole.
That much can't really be expected of Greinke, however. He dazzled in a similar situation in last year's NLDS, posting the Dodgers' only strong point of that series against the Cardinals, and that has Daniel Brim of DodgersDigest.com holding out hope:
That being said, the Mets can't be upset with their current position despite a 19-3 Greinke approaching the mound. They got a dazzling performance from deGrom in Game 1 and can turn toward Noah Syndergaard in Game 2.
The Mets are in solid territory to pull off the upset after Friday's win, as Alan Hahn of ESPN Radio noted:
While there's little doubt the Mets have the deeper stable of pitchers with deGrom, Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Bartolo Colon, that won't really matter Saturday. All that matters is that Greinke will be the best pitcher on the field.
New York's bats were able to pounce on Kershaw's few mistakes in Game 1, but they can't expect the same out of a red-hot Greinke in Game 2, as he'll power the Dodgers to a low-scoring win.
Prediction: Dodgers 2, Mets 1
Game 2: Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals
The hype surrounding these Chicago Cubs is not quelled after they came crashing back down to earth in a Game 1 defeat—far from it. But that will all begin to change if the Cubs can't steal the second in St. Louis on Saturday.
After an inspiring 4-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Wild Card Game, the Cubs had no match offensively for John Lackey. The Cardinals pitcher threw a two-hitter over seven innings, proving too much for Jon Lester to match.
With that in mind, the Cubs are far from discouraged after one loss, per Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago:
Jake Arrieta is still resting from his Wild Card Game gem, and Lester is out of the fold for now, so the Cubs turn toward Kyle Hendricks (8-7) in what feels like a must-win game. It's encouraging for Chicago that Hendricks is in the midst of a 12-inning scoreless streak, striking out 25 with two walks in his last three starts.
But the game-changing aspect of this series isn't on the mound. It's in the lineup, where the Cardinals rookies are the ones generating runs and not the lauded youngsters of the Cubs. ESPN Stats & Info noted as much:
When it comes to October, the Cardinals have simply had the pedigree and the ability to go out and produce results. A first-ever postseason meeting with their bitter rivals hasn't done anything to change that.
With Arrieta on the mound, you can pencil the Cubs in for a win. Without him, this doesn't look like a team that can beat the NL's best with so much on the line.
Prediction: Cardinals 5, Cubs 3
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