NLCS Schedule 2017: Start Time, Odds, World Series Predictions Before Game 2

Jon Lester is going to try to get the Chicago Cubs even in the National League Championship Series on Sunday. It may not be an easy task because the defending World Series champions are playing a powerful and motivated team in the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers earned a 5-2 Game 1 victory after the Cubs jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but the Chicago offense dried up completely after Albert Almora's two-run home run in the fourth inning. The Cubs were held to four hits in the game by six Dodgers pitchers.

Clayton Kershaw pitched the first five innings and gave up the home run to Almora, and the Los Angeles bullpen was perfect. The relievers held the Cubs without a hit and didn't allow a walk. Kenta Maeda pitched one inning and earned the victory, while Kenley Jansen pitched the last 1.1 innings and recorded the save.

Lester is hoping to contain a Los Angeles lineup that had eight hits and two home runs against Cubs pitching. Rich Hill will take the mound for the Dodgers, and he will attempt to keep Chicago in check.

Lester pitched 9.2 innings in two appearances during the NLDS against the Washington Nationals. He gave up three hits and had a 1.86 earned-run average. Lester was 13-8 during the regular season, with his 4.33 ERA indicating he was not in top form through most of the campaign.

Hill pitched 4.0 innings during the Dodgers' three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks and gave up three hits and had a 4.50 ERA. Hill was 12-8 with a 3.32 ERA during the regular season.

The Cubs' big hitters have not been on their game in the postseason. Kris Bryant is hitting .208 with just five hits and two RBI in his six postseason games. He has struck out 11 times in 25 plate appearances. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .174 with four hits and six RBI, and he has fanned seven times in 25 plate appearances.

Second baseman Javier Baez has yet to get a hit in 17 at bats, while catcher Willson Contreras is hitting .222 with one home run and one RBI. Addison Russell (.190), Kyle Schwarber (.125) and Ben Zobrist (.222) are also struggling at the plate.

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The Dodgers are doing a much better job at the plate. Justin Turner is hitting .412 with a home run and six RBI and Yasiel Puig is hitting .467 with one long ball and six RBI. The Dodgers are hitting .293 as a team with five home runs and 23 RBI.

Hill is looking forward to the challenge of facing the Cubs, saying, per Stats TSX (h/t CBSSports.com):

"It's great. Anytime you get the opportunity to play and compete against the best, I think it's something that everybody who is a competitor wants to do. You want to challenge yourself against the best, and they're the defending champions, and that's the club that we wanted to play and the team that we want to beat to get to the next step, which is the World Series."

Lester says he wants to keep the Dodgers from working long at bats. "I think it's just like anything this time of year, you have to try to hold back momentum as best you can," Lester said, per the same source. "You can't let those guys string hits together, long at-bats, foul balls, stuff like that." 

The Cubs and Dodgers will meet at Dodger Stadium at 7:38 p.m. ET, and Game 2 will be televised by TBS. The Dodgers opened as minus-145 favorites (wager $145 to win $100), according to OddsShark, while the Cubs are plus-125 underdogs (wager $100 to win $125). 

The Dodgers are plus-169 (wager $100 to win $169) to win the World Series, while the Cubs are plus-415 (wager $100 to win $415).

Prediction

The Cubs have proved they can handle adversity in the postseason many times, and their comeback victory in Game 5 against the Nationals was the latest example. They were down 4-1 in that game when the Nationals went to ace Max Scherzer, but the Cubs rallied for the victory.

A 1-0 deficit to the Dodgers will not cause them to cry or shake in their boots.

However, the Cubs are struggling badly at the plate. Almora is the only player who is hitting well, with a .333 batting average, one home run, three RBI and a 1.067 OPS. Stars like Bryant and Russell are struggling.

It is not likely to turn around on the road against Hill. The Cubs will likely scratch out a run or two, but the Dodgers should be good for at least as much against Lester, and then they will work over the Cubs' soft bullpen.

The Dodgers take Game 2 and go to Chicago with a 2-0 lead in the series, which is scheduled for Tuesday at 9 p.m.

At that point, Los Angeles will be dictating the series. The Cubs may earn a victory or two, but the Dodgers will win the series in no more than six games.