Everyone will be looking at the matchup between Athony Rizzo and Clayton Kershaw.
Who will win? This is a question many people are asking about the playoff matchup between the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is the first playoff meeting of the two teams since 2008, where the Dodgers were victorious. This series is very important as the Cubs haven’t been to the World Series since 1945 and haven’t won the World Series in over 100 years. As of right now, it looks like the Chicago Cubs should have the advantage in this one, but don’t count the Los Angeles Dodgers out. The Cubs have had a great year going 103-58, winning the NL Central division by 17 games. The Dodgers also had a very good year even as they lost one of their star pitchers, Zack Greinke to the Diamondbacks, and went 91-71 winning the NL West division. The Cubs are going to have to have the middle of their batting order step up, which consists of Russell, Baez, and Zobrist. The Dodgers are going to have to have a very strong start from their starting pitchers as well as their relievers. Each team has their own advantages over the other. It looks like the Dodgers will have the advantage in some of the positions such as shortstop and right field. Those two players are Corey Seager and Yasiel Puig. Corey Seager hit over .300 this year and without a doubt, will win the National Rookie of the Year Award. However, the Cubs will have more of an advantage in positions such as a big one at first base, Anthony Rizzo, and third base, Kris Bryant who combined for over 200 RBI’s and over 70 home runs this year. The Cubs also have the advantage in starting pitchers, relievers, and closers. The Cubs’ pitching has had an era of 3.15 this season, whereas the Dodgers have an era of 3.7, so the Cubs have a slight advantage in that perspective. The Dodgers and Cubs both looked strong in their NLDS, which is a best of 5 series to get here, with the Cubs beating the Giants in a very interesting and exciting game, and the Dodgers beating the Nationals. Ironically, both teams won on a very big game, the Dodgers in game 5 and the Cubs in game 4. The Dodgers’ final game against the Nationals went for over 4 hours, which is longer than the average game. The Cubs won in the ninth inning, which is the last inning scoring 4 and coming back to win 6-5. In conclusion, this series will be very interesting because it could go either way. There will be very different playing styles that will collide in a series you won’t want to miss. This series has Chicago on edge, as some Cubs fans have been waiting their whole lives for this moment. In this situation, it looks like the Chicago Cubs have the advantage, but don’t count the Los Angeles Dodgers out.