National League Division Series Game 1: Cubs (103-58-1, 0-0) vs. Giants (87-75, 1-0)
- Game Time – 8:15pm CDT
- Coverage – TV: FS1 – Radio: WSCR 670 The Score, Cubs Radio Network, XM Radio Channels 89(Cubs), 844(Cubs), 184(Giants)
- Location – Wrigley Field, Chicago
Jon Lester (19-5, 2.44/1.01/3.41) vs. Johnny Cueto (18-5, 2.79/1.09/2.96)
The National League Division Series – Game 1
Cubs Baseball is On the Air! It’s the first game of the National League Division Series between the Cubs and Giants from Wrigley Field.
The Cubs and Giants square off for the first time in postseason play since the days of the Boys of Zimmer.
Jon Lester gets the ball tonight in Game 1 of the NLDS. It will be up to Lester and David Ross to keep the Giants off the scoreboard while the Cubs figure out Johnny Cueto.
Lester had an excellent, Cy Young worthy season, but these are the ‘Big Boy Games’ and one of the reasons Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer brought him to the Cubs.
Lester is 6-6 in 16 career postseason games, 14 starts, with a 2.85 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. Lester has allowed 33 runs, 31 earned, on 80 hits with 25 walks and 87 strikeouts in 98 innings.
The Cubs must play their game, not help the Giants by giving them extra outs and opportunities. And the Cubs game plan has to include forcing Johnny Cueto to throw as many pitches as possible early in the game. One of the weaknesses of this Giants team is the bullpen. The Cubs must exploit that weakness as much as possible.
On paper this series should be low-scoring and each game has the possibility of being extremely close. The team that makes the least amount of mistakes and the most productive outs will advance to the NLCS … the other will get a jump start on next season.
Tonight all starts with Jon Lester …
Jon Lester earned his second NL Pitcher of the Month award with an excellent final month of the season. Lester’s last outing did not go as the southpaw would have liked. After going 5-0 in five starts in September with a 0.48 ERA and 0.69 WHIP, Lester surrendered five runs on six hits in five innings to the Reds.
Lester was 10-1 in 14 starts in the second half (Cubs, 12-2) with a 1.76 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. Lester allowed 18 runs on 62 hits with 24 walks and 89 strikeouts in 92 innings.
For the season, Lester was 10-2 in 15 starts at Wrigley with a 1.74 ERA and 0.89 WHIP.
Jon Lester made two starts against the Giants this season. Lester was 1-1 with a 4.63 ERA and 1.20 WHIP after allowing six runs on nine hits with five walks and five strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings.
Lester dominated the Giants at Wrigley Field, but struggled against them in May at AT&T Park.
In San Francisco on May 21, Lester lasted only 2 2/3 innings and gave up five runs on six hits with three walks and a strikeout. The Cubs lost 5-3 to Matt Cain. Lester came within a Hunter Pence home run of a possible no-hitter against the Giants at Wrigley. Lester gave up one run on three hits in a complete game gem. Lester struck out four and walked three in nine innings. The Cubs won 2-1.
For his career, Lester is 4-1 in five starts against the Giants with a 2.25 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.
Giants Career Numbers against Jon Lester
- Denard Span: 8-for-28 with one double and six walks
- Eduardo Nunez: 2-for-18 with one walk
- Hunter Pence: 3-for-15 with one home run and two walks
- Buster Posey: 5-for-16 with one double, one home run and one walk
- Brandon Crawford: 3-for-11 with one double and one walk
- Brandon Belt: 0-for-6 with one walk
- Angel Pagan: 0-for-7
- Kelby Tomlinson: 0-for-5
- Trevor Brown: 2-for-5 with one double
- Joe Panik: 1-for-5 with one double
- Ehire Adrianza: 0-for-1
- Gregor Blanco: one walk
Giants Numbers against Jon Lester in 2016
- Brandon Crawford: 2-for-5 with one double and one walk
- Buster Posey: 1-for-5 with one home run and one walk
- Denard Span: 0-for-5 with one walk
- Trevor Brown: 2-for-5 with one double
- Joe Panik: 1-for-5 with one double
- Angel Pagan: 0-for-4
- Hunter Pence: 1-for-3 with one home run and one walk
- Eduardo Nunez: 0-for-3
- Kelby Tomlinson: 0-for-2
- Gregor Blanco: one walk
The Cubs face a very familiar foe tonight in Johnny Cueto. The former No. 1 starter of the Reds knows the Cubs extremely well. The Cubs must not allow Cueto to settle in. If they can make Cueto work early and rattle him it will force Bruce Bochy to go to his pen early and often.
Cueto won each of his last four starts of the regular season. The last time the Giants lost a game Cueto starts with Sept. 4 at Wrigley Field. Cueto held the Rockies in check his last time out. Cueto allowed two runs on nine hits with a walk and 11 strikeouts in seven innings.
Johnny Cueto was 4-0 in his last five starts of the regular season with a 1.78 ERA and 1.05 WHIP.
Cueto was 10-2 in 17 road starts with a 2.78 ERA and 1.11 WHIP.
The Cubs faced Cueto just one time this season. The Cubs beat the Giants 3-2 in 13 innings. Cueto received a no-decision after allowing one run on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts in seven innings.
Cueto has a 9-8 record in 24 career starts against the Cubs with a 3.24 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. At Wrigley, Cueto is 5-5 in 15 starts with a 3.07 ERA and 1.26 WHIP.
Cubs Career Numbers against Johnny Cueto
- Anthony Rizzo: 3-for-25 with one double and one home run
- Chris Coghlan: 5-for-20 with one double and one walk
- Miguel Montero: 2-for-19 with one walk
- Jason Heyward: 4-for-18 with two doubles
- Dexter Fowler: 3-for-16 with one walk
- Ben Zobrist: 0-for-8 with two walks
- Javier Baez: 0-for-6
- Kris Bryant: 3-for-5
- Addison Russell: 3-for-6 with two doubles
- David Ross: 1-for-4 with one walk
- Willson Contreras: 0-for-3
- Jorge Soler: 1-for-2 with one double and one walk
- Tommy La Stella: 0-for-1
Let’s Talk Cubs Baseball …