Prizing:

1st Place: $50 Amazon gift card

2nd-5th Place: $10 Starbucks gift card

Overview:

On Tuesday, October 18th, the Chicago Cubs will be on the road to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the National League Championship Series.  The series is tied (1-1).

The Crowd:

“The Crowd” projects a final score of Cubs 4.2 – Dodgers 3.4 with an over/under of 7.6.

Starting Pitchers:

CHC- Jake Arrieta (18-8, 3.10) vs LAD- Rich Hill (12-5, 2.12)

Home vs Away:

The Dodgers were (53-28) at home this season whereas the Cubs were (46-34) on the road.

Batting Stats:

Runs Scored: Cubs 808 (3^rd) > Dodgers 725 (14^th)

Batting Average: Cubs .256 (14^th) > Dodgers .249 (22^nd)

On Base Percentage: Cubs .343 (2^nd) > Dodgers .319 (18^th)

Total Bases: Cubs 2359 (10^th) > Dodgers 2256 (18^th)

Baserunning Stats:

Stolen Bases: Cubs 66 (20^th) > Dodgers 45 (27^th)

Pitching Stats:

Team Earned Run Average: Cubs 3.15 (1^st) > Dodgers 3.70 (5^th)

Batting Average Against: Cubs .212 (1^st) > Dodgers .233 (2^nd)

Walks/Hits Per Innings Pitched: Cubs 1.23 (5^th) > Dodgers 1.19 (2^nd)

Strikeouts: Dodgers 1510 (1^st) > Cubs 1441 (3^rd)

Saves: Dodgers 47 (9^th) > Cubs 38 (22^nd)

Fielding Stats:

Errors: Dodgers 80 (7^th) > Cubs 101 (22^nd)

Summary:

The series is now tied at one after Clayton Kershaw shutout the Cubs in game two.  The Dodgers head back home with a split and Rich Hill on the mound.  Hill was acquired midseason from Oakland and has not faced the majority of the Cubs hitters.  Hill actually pitches worse at home (4-4, 2.42) but still put up solid numbers.  A cause for concern is that Hill has lasted 2.2 and 4.1 innings in his two post-season starts this season.

Cubs starter Jake Arrieta has held Dodgers hitters to a combined .202 average against.  Arrieta is capable of putting the team on his back as we saw in last year’s post-season.  Arrieta is less effective on the road (11-3, 3.59), but he has pitched well in his only start this postseason.  On paper, the Cubs have a huge advantage in this pitching match-up but the Dodgers are one of the best home teams in baseball.  I think Arrieta will shut down the Dodgers in game three.

**LISTEN HERE** to the latest edition of “The Berger Shop” podcast, sponsored by The Crowd’s Line.  This week’s episode features an in depth discussion with VP of Octagon Sports: David Schwab.

Note:

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