National League Championship Series Game 2: Cubs (97-65, 0-1) vs. Mets (90-72, 1-0)
- Game Time – 7:07pm CDT
- Coverage – TV: TBS – Radio: WBBM 780, Cubs Radio Network, XM Radio Channels 183 (Cubs), 844 (Cubs), 89 (Mets) and ESPN Radio
- Location – Citi Field
Jake Arrieta (22-6, 1.77/0.87/2.35) vs. Noah Syndergaard (9-7, 3.24/1.05/3.25)
The National League Championship Series – Game 2
Mets Lead the Series 1-0
Joe Maddon turns to Jake Arrieta tonight in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series. And the Cubs are looking for Arrieta to keep the Mets off the board while the offense builds an early lead against the hard throwing Noah Syndergaard.
The Cubs have very little experience facing Syndergaard. Based on his splits, Joe Maddon should find a way to work in Chris Coghlan into the starting lineup. With Miguel Montero catching Arrieta, the Cubs will have another bat in the starting nine. Lefties have hit .237/.284/.378 off Syndergaard while righties have put together a .212/.251/.326 line against him.
Syndergaard has not been as effective in the first two innings this season. The Cubs should be aggressive and try to put runs on the board before he settles in. Teams have hit .258/.286/.495 with a .780 OPS off Syndergaard in the first inning and .222/.278/.322 in the second inning. Syndergaard has been lights out in innings three, four and five this year before hitting a wall in the sixth (.315/.354/.685).
The weather in Game 2 looks to be a carbon copy of Game 1, temperatures in the mid-40s and dry.
Tonight all starts with Jake Arrieta …
Jake Arrieta has pitched well in his two starts in the post-season. The Cubs were able to get him an extra day of rest and he should benefit from it at this time of the year. After pitching a complete game shutout against the Pirates in the NL Wild Card Game, Arrieta showed he is human and was not as sharp against the Cardinals in Game 3 of the NLDS.
Arrieta allowed four runs on five hits with two walks and nine strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings to the Cardinals. It was the first time since June 16 in which he did not record a quality start.
Outside of Wrigley Field this season, Jake Arrieta was 13-1 in 18 starts with a 1.60 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. Arrieta allowed 29 runs, 22 earned, on 83 hits with 25 walks and 129 strikeouts in 124 innings. Arrieta makes his third start of the year against the Mets tonight.
Jake Arrieta was 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA and 0.63 WHIP against the Mets in the regular season. Arrieta allowed two runs on eight hits with two walks and 17 strikeouts in 16 innings. At Citi Field, Arrieta allowed one run on five hits with no walks and seven strikeouts in eight innings.
For his career, Arrieta is 2-1 in five starts versus the Mets with a 1.82 ERA and 0.89 WHIP (seven runs on 23 hits with eight walks and 32 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings). And at Citi Field, Jake Arrieta is 1-1 in three starts with a 2.05 ERA and 0.73 WHIP.
Mets Career Numbers against Jake Arrieta
- Curtis Granderson: 10-for-30 with two doubles, one triple, three home runs and three walks
- Lucas Duda: 4-for-11 with three walks
- Daniel Murphy: 3-for-12
- Michael Cuddyer: 2-for-9
- Kelly Johnson: 0-for-6 with three walks
- Wilmer Flores: 3-for-8 with one double
- Yoenis Cespedes: 1-for-6 with one home run and one walk
- David Wright: 0-for-4 with two walks
- Juan Lagares: 0-for-3
- Travis d’Arnaud: 1-for-2
Noah Syndergaard appeared in two games of the NLDS against the Dodgers, once as a starter and once in relief. Syndergaard gave up three runs on five hits with four walks and nine strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings in the Game 2 loss. Syndergaard pitched an inning out of the pen in Game 5 and struck out two of the four batters he faced.
Syndergaard was a lot better at home in the regular season than on the road. At Citi Field, Syndergaard was 7-2 in 12 starts with a 2.46 ERA and 0.82 WHIP. Syndergaard allowed 23 runs on 59 hits with 10 walks and 86 strikeouts in 84 innings. Syndergaard made his big league debut against the Cubs earlier this season and faces Joe Maddon’s team for the second time tonight.
Noah Syndergaard made his Major League debut against the Cubs on May 12 at Wrigley. The Cubs beat a shaky, but rather impressive Syndergaard. The Cubs won the game 6-1 and scored three runs on six hits off Syndergaard with four walks. Syndergaard struck out six batters.
Cubs Career Numbers against Noah Syndergaard
- Kris Bryant: 2-for-3 with one triple
- Starlin Castro: 1-for-3 with one double
- Chris Coghlan: 1-for-2 with one home run and one walk
- Dexter Fowler: 0-for-3
- Miguel Montero: 0-for-2 with one walk
- Anthony Rizzo: 0-for-1 with two walks
- Jorge Soler: 2-for-3
Let’s Talk Cubs Baseball …