Just to confirm what we already projected, Jon Lester will start tonight for the Cubs in Game Two of the NLCS, and then he’ll be followed by Kyle Hendricks and Jake Arrieta, in that order.
Lester matches up with Rich Hill tonight in Los Angeles, and then Hendricks will face Yu Darvish in the first game at Wrigley Field on Tuesday night (Game Three), with Arrieta getting Alex Wood the next day.
Hendricks, who started Game Five of the NLDS, actually pitched more recently than Arrieta, but given that we still don’t quite know how consistent Arrieta can be given his hamstring issue, it makes sense that Hendricks would get the ball first. Further, that sets up Hendricks to get a decisive Game Seven start, if the series goes that far.