Hosts ask Urias to give them 3-1 NLCS edge
Tonight, Julio Urias will make history in Game 4 of the NLCS. The Dodgers simply hope that it’s for all the right reasons.
The fireballing southpaw is slated to become the youngest pitcher to start a playoff contest when he tackles the Cubs at 8:08 p.m. ET. Online sports book Bovada.lv gives the visitors odds of -113 to vanquish the top prospect, whereas Los Angeles represents a +103 underdog. The over/under run figure sits at seven.
Dave Roberts’ gang took (momentary) control of the set last night with a 6-0 blanking of the majors’ top regular-season outfit. Corey Seager went yard off Jake Arrieta in the third, and Yasmani Grandal followed with a three-run jack shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, veteran Rich Hill was sensational on the mound. In six innings, he limited Chicago to two hits and walked two.
Now, the Boys in Blue need Urias to follow suit. The 20-year-old didn’t fare particularly well against the Cubbies on June 2, serving up six runs in five frames. Yet that appearance came at Wrigley Field – when he was still a teenager. Urias posted a 1.93 ERA over his final four assignments in September.
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Joe Maddon counters with October mainstay John Lackey. Despite the well-documented body of work in the fall, however, the righty endured a fairly arduous outing vs. San Francisco in the Division Series. The Giants reached him for seven base knocks and three runs in four innings. He’ll face Los Angeles for the 13th time in his career.
Frankly, we can’t envision Lackey suffering a second straight misfire on the big stage. It’s fair to question Urias’ endurance, too as he hasn’t crossed the 90-pitch threshold in six weeks. In short, expect an all-square set of affairs.
WEDNESDAY MLB FREE PICK: CUBS -1.5