Dodgers Cubs Game Three Preview

The Dodgers look to guarantee at least a series split with the Cubs in game three.

Baseball is so weird. In each of the first two games of this series, a team has only been able to muster one hit. In game one, the Dodgers got one hit against a starter who left the game in the third inning, and seven innings of Cub bullpen. In game two, the Cubs got one hit off Scott Kazmir, Joe Blanton and Adam Liberatore.

The Dodgers and their inconsistent offense handed the Cubs their first loss in a game started by Jake Arrieta since last July. Arrieta was good, Kazmir was very good, the Dodgers’ bullpen was good, the Cubs’ bullpen was not. On this roadtrip, the Dodgers have won games started by Arrieta and Noah Syndergaard. They’re doing their job and looking good in games against tough teams, they just need the Giants to cool down. San Francisco is beating the bad teams, while the Dodgers have lost series’ to the Angels, Marlins and Padres, and that’s the difference in the race right now (wins all count the same, wins against first place teams don’t mean more).

The Dodgers look to guarantee at least a series split with Mike Bolsinger on the hill today. Bolsinger has had two starts this season and hasn’t thrown more than 100 pitches in either of them, as he works his way back from an oblique injury suffered in spring training. Bolsinger is 1-1 on the season, with his win coming in his last start against the Reds, when he tossed 5.2 innings of three-hit ball, but got bitten by a two-run home run off the bat of Adam Duvall. Bolsinger started for the Dodgers last June at Wrigley and failed to get past the fifth inning, but only allowed two runs in 4.2 frames.

The Dodgers bats continued their late-game success last night, and today they get to deal with Jon Lester. The lefty holds a 2.48 ERA/3.35 FIP in 10 starts this season and has gone at least six innings in eight of his starts. He’s allowed exactly one run in six of his 10 outings and has only allowed more than three runs once.

A surprisingly left-handed lineup against a lefty, but the Dodgers were sort of forced into doing this. Chase Utley and Adrian Gonzalez both get days off, forcing Enrique Hernandez into the infield. With Yasiel Puig still apparently not healthy (scratched yesterday with a hamstring), Joc Pederson and Carl Crawford both start against a lefty. Neither of them have historically had rough splits against lefties.

Next: Dodgers DFA Alex Guerrero

First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 and will be shown on Sportsnet LA and ESPN (blacked out)