The National League Championship Series has been all about the New York Mets to this point, but the Chicago Cubs aren't going to let this one get away from them that easily.
While the Mets took care of business at home to grab a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, the Cubs now get a chance to utilize some home cooking as the teams travel to Wrigley Field. Chicago is 2-0 at home this postseason, and fans hoping to see the organization's first World Series berth since 1945 will certainly be loud.
Game 3 will either give the Cubs a chance to get right back in the series or fall behind a devastating 3-0. This battle won't necessarily decide the series, but it will be a major turning point in either direction.
Here is a look at what you need to know to help you follow along in this important game.
NLCS Game 3
Where: Wrigley Field, Chicago
When: Tuesday, Oct. 20
Time: 8:07 p.m. ET
TV: TBS
Live Stream: TBS.com
Probable Pitchers: Jacob deGrom (Mets) vs. Kyle Hendricks (Cubs)
The Cubs will hope their offense, which carried them to 97 wins this season, will pick up again at home. Buster Olney of ESPN broke down the numbers, showing the team's struggles in the past two games compared to earlier in the playoffs:
One of the biggest culprits has been Anthony Rizzo, a legitimate MVP candidate who had 31 home runs and 101 RBI during the regular season. In the playoffs, the first baseman is batting only .167, including just 1-for-6 in the NLCS.
Kyle Schwarber did have one long hit in Game 1, but that was his only hit in eight at-bats to go with four strikeouts. While this is obviously a small sample size, the Cubs do need major improvement from their stars to start winning.
On the plus side, the return to Wrigley Field could do wonders for transforming the offense. The Cubs scored 14 runs in two games at home this postseason, compared to just 13 in five combined games on the road.
The problem is doing it against Jacob deGrom, who is 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA in two starts this postseason. After shutting down the Los Angeles Dodgers for seven scoreless innings in Game 1, he needed to grind his way without his best stuff in Game 5, yet he ended up with six innings of two-run ball.
Marc Carig of Newsday was more impressed by the latter performance:
Fully rested going into Game 3, deGrom should come through with yet another dominant showing.
Meanwhile, Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks couldn't even get through five innings in his only playoff start this season. While he was better at home throughout the year (3.38 ERA), the young pitcher was wildly inconsistent throughout the season and allowed four or more runs on 10 different occasions.
He could also struggle to contain Daniel Murphy, who has now homered in four games in a row against some of the best pitching in baseball.
"Very rarely do you see somebody get this hot against average pitching," teammate David Wright said after Sunday's game, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. "Throw in that it's Kershaw, Greinke twice each, Lester, Arrieta—I mean, that's impressive. He's about as locked in as I've seen a hitter, and he's carried that out now for seven games. That's quite a feat."
The rest of the lineup hasn't quite been as hot, but Curtis Granderson and Yoenis Cespedes have had big hits this postseason, and the rest of the lineup is more than capable of coming through in key moments.
Although Chicago has the better offense from top to bottom, it is facing a much tougher matchup in Game 3 and will be limited once again. This game won't necessarily clinch the series, but the Mets will be in good shape after earning a road win.
Prediction: Mets 5, Cubs 3
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