Cubs aim to close out Giants behind veteran
Nobody understands the rhythms of October baseball better than John Lackey. After the wild events of Monday, that should be especially reassuring to the Cubs.
Joe Maddon sends the two-time World Series champion into battle against the Giants tonight, with an 8:40 p.m. ET first pitch at AT&T Park. Online sports book Bovada.lv gives Chicago odds of -129 to close out the NLDS. Bruce Bochy’s club, on the other hand, represents a +119 underdog. The over/under run figure rests at 7.5.
San Francisco averted getting swept about 15 hours ago, snagging an extra-inning triumph over the Central Division champion. After Madison Bumgarner logged five arduous frames, Bochy got 24 outs from his relief corps. Meanwhile, at the plate, catcher Buster Posey and second baseman Joe Panik each pounded out three hits.
Such offense may not come as readily this evening. Lackey owns an 8-4 record with a 3.11 ERA in 23 career playoff appearances. He’s also extremely fresh, having gone only 71 2/3 innings following the All-Star break.
Matt Moore, a trade-deadline pickup from Tampa Bay, will oppose Lackey. Several weeks ago, the southpaw posted an 11-strikeout performance vs. Colorado. He previously experienced the postseason stage as a member of the 2013 Rays.
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The Windy’s City already on edge, petrified that its team is destined to suffer another collapse on the big stage. Yet Lackey’s decidedly immune to all outside noise. His steadiness will propel the Cubbies to their first LCS appearance in years.
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