Chicago Cubs turn to Arrieta in Game 2 with hopes of tying the series

Game 1 of the World Series saw the Chicago Cubs get blanked 6-0 by the Cleveland Indians. Tonight they’ll look to bounce back with Jake Arrieta on the mound for the Cubs.

The Chicago Cubs had trouble getting anything going all night. They started the night by allowing Indians pitcher Corey Kluber to set a World Series record by making eight of his first nine outs strikeouts. Kluber was nearly untouchable his entire outing.

For the Cubs, Jon Lester had a rough first inning. After loading the bases, the Indians scored their first run on an infield single from Jose Ramirez. Lester then proceeded to hit Indians’ left fielder Brandon Guyer, pushing across another run.

Offensively the Cubs just couldn’t execute with runners on base. Chicago left whopping 20 runners on base in Game 1. Pair this with the team’s 15 strikeouts and you’re left with zero runs. Now, as frustrating as it was to see them strand so many, it’s not likely to happen again. Even Joe Maddon mentioned that the team probably didn’t play quite as bad as the score would indicate.

May the Schwarb be with you

Kyle Schwarber made his return to baseball last night after tearing two ligaments in his knee. His first at-bat resulted in a strikeout, but he took some good looking cuts. After that, he hit a double off the right field wall that just barely stayed in the park. Had it gone out, the momentum could have easily shifted in the Cubs’ direction.

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In his next two at-bats, Schwarber walked and struck out. He did have one baserunning blunder, though it didn’t cost the team. In the seventh inning with the bases loaded, Willson Contreras hit a shallow fly ball to center field, and Schwarber took off well before the catch was made.

It was obvious from the moment the ball left the bat that no one would be tagging up–the ball just wasn’t hit deep enough. But Schwarber took off down the line and then hesitated to come back when he realized no one was moving. In that moment he definitely looked like a guy who hadn’t played MLB baseball since April.

Schwarber will again bat fifth in the lineup and serve as the DH tonight. Look for him to be a factor tonight. He’s a threat to send one deep every time he steps up to the plate.

What to expect

The Cubs will have a lot more room to be aggressive against Trevor Bauer. A right-hander, Bauer has a 5.06 ERA in the postseason so far. Bauer can be very effective when he’s on, but he doesn’t have anything nearly as devastating as Kluber’s slider or two-seamer.

One thing to keep an eye on will be Bauer’s finger. He cut open his little finger repairing his drone, and the cut reopened during his last start, forcing him out of the game in the first inning.

Hoping to get the Cubs back on track will be Jake Arrieta. He’s so far gone 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA in the postseason. The Cubs will need a strong performance from the 2015 NL Cy Young award winner. Command will be the key for Arrieta. Particularly with his curveball. If he can throw it for a strike, it makes him one of the toughest pitchers to hit.

Lineups

Willson Contreras will catch tonight and bat seventh. Jason Heyward will sit once again as Jorge Soler gets the start in right field. Addison Russell will bat ninth. Look for the top of the order to step up tonight. Dexter Fowler, Kris Bryant, and Anthony Rizzo went a combined 0-for-11 in Game 1.

As for the Indians, Carlos Santana will lead off as the DH. Starting in left field will be Coco Crisp and starting in center field will be rookie Tyler Naquin. Indians manager Terry Francona has also confirmed that Andrew Miller will only be available for one inning tonight. Miller threw 46 pitches in Game 1.

Next: Weather could be an issue for Game 2

Another thing to keep an eye on is the weather. There’s a strong chance we won’t see all nine innings played tonight. The game has been scheduled an hour ahead of it’s original start time, but the rain should hit around 8:00 PM CT. By rule, all nine innings of the game must be played, so if it isn’t completed tonight, they’ll likely finish it tomorrow.

The game is scheduled to start at 6:00 PM CT. Like last night, you can catch Game 2 of the World Series on FOX.

Here are your lineups: