Chicago Cubs: Kluber can’t do it himself, so take advantage of this

For the first time since 1945, the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field will host a World Series game. In fact, three games will take place at the Friendly Confines pending two more in Cleveland. Will the North Siders finish the job early?

Honestly, that may very well be a stretch for the Chicago Cubs. Looking back at the previous two series prior to the World Series and you can’t help but notice a few struggles. Especially against pitchers who followed their aces.

Mainly Matt Moore and Rich Hill. Two men who took the mound following Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw. They both pitched exceptionally well against the Chicago Cubs, recording a combined 16/4 K/BB ratio, four hits, and two earned runs in 14 innings of work.

The fact that Hill was able to turn in such a solid performance was huge for the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, it wouldn’t prevent the Cubbies from fighting back and eventually winning the series.

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Which brings us to this weekend. On Monday, Chicago struggled against Corey Kluber who yielded only four hits with zero walks, and nine strikeouts in six innings. He improved to 3-1 with an ERA of 0.74 in the postseason.

Not to mention, he is expected to pitch tomorrow evening against John Lackey in a key Game 4 matchup. It will either set the table for the Chicago Cubs to finish the job on Sunday or guarantee a Game 6 in Cleveland on Tuesday.

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For right now, it’s time to take advantage of the fact that the Cubs have another great pitching matchup in their favor. Sending Kyle Hendricks to the bump opposite Josh Tomlin. We’ll have more on who Tomlin is, later on, today, so be on the lookout for that.

Aside from Jon Lester, Hendricks has been solid for the Cubs this postseason. Despite his only loss coming at the hands of Kershaw and the Dodgers, he is the man who should give the Cubs a 2-1 lead after tonight.

It’s not like he isn’t used to the pressure anyway. I mean, he pitched an absolute gem in his previous outing, shutting down the Los Angeles Dodgers to help the Cubs clinch the National League pennant. However, this is the World Series.

If the Chicago Cubs have any hopes of getting ahead in the series, they are going to need to attack early and often. Just like they did against Kershaw in that Game 6. Give Lackey the chance of putting up a fight against Kluber on Saturday, leading the way for Lester to redeem himself in Game 5.

This offense should have scored more runs off Trevor Bauer in Game 2. Javier Baez turned into his old self, swinging away at pitches high in the zone and chasing with runners in scoring position — can’t do that tonight.

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Remember, Kyle Schwarber is only available to pinch-hit throughout the weekend. Sure, it will be nice to have him back in as a designated hitter but you don’t want this series returning to Cleveland if the bats fall silent and momentum is on their side.

Which is why it is important to use the fact that Kluber is Cleveland’s number one weapon in their starting rotation. It may take awhile to figure Tomlin out but if the Cubs play their cards right, they’ll celebrate another postseason win at Wrigley Field.