Cubs Send Postseason Vet Lester in NLCS Game 5

The Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers will meet in NLCS Game 5 on Thursday when they battle at Dodger Stadium. The Cubs had a decisive 10-2 win in game 4, They look to keep the momentum going tonight at Chavez Ravine and head to Chicago up 3-2.

The Cubs will give the ball to starter Jon Lester in NLCS Game 5. Left hander Lester is 20-5 this season with a 2.33 ERA.  Jon Lester (1-0, 0.64), who didn’t factor into the decision in Game 1 against the Dodgers, will get the nod for the Cubs. Lester allowed a run on four hits with three strikeouts and a walk in six innings in the series opener.

Meanwhile, it’ll be Kenta Maeda who starts for the Dodgers. Right hander Maeda is 16-12 with a 3.70 ERA so far this season. Maeda (0-1), and not ace Clayton Kershaw, will get the baseball in a crucial contest of the series.  Games 6 and 7 (if necessary) will be at Wrigley Field this weekend. Maeda lost his other playoff start in Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals, serving up four runs on five hits in three innings in his second-shortest start of the season.

Oddsmakers currently have the Cubs listed as 166-moneyline favorites versus the Dodgers, while the game’s total is sitting at 7.

Stats and Matchups

Chicago:
Team record: 108-61 SU
Chi Cubs is 14-7 ATS in its last 21 games
Chi Cubs is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs’s last 6 games

Los Angeles:
Team record: 96-75 SU
LA Dodgers is 2-10 ATS in its last 12 games
LA Dodgers is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
LA Dodgers is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home

Next up:
Chicago home to Los Angeles Saturday, October 22

Get your 2016 NLCS Game 4 odds at Bovada today.