Cubs Shut Out by Clayton Kershaw as Dodgers Win Game 2 of NLCS

CHICAGO, IL — The postseason continues for the Chicago Cubs with the National League Championship Series. To advance, the North Siders defeated the San Francisco Giants in dramatic fashion to win the NL Division Series. Now, the Cubbies take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in a best-of-seven series. Here's a recap of Game 2 of the NLCS.

Los Angeles Dodgers 1, Chicago Cubs 0

The best-of-seven series is tied, 1-1.

W: Clayton Kershaw (2-0, 3.72 ERA); L: Kyle Hendricks (0-1, 3.00 ERA)

Memorable Moment: Cubs second baseman Javier Baez made a nifty heads-up play in the bottom of the seventh inning by short-hopping a bloop line drive instead of catching it in the air. He then smartly threw to second for the force out, which led to doubling up the Dodgers' Adrian Gonzalez after he got hung up between second and third.

Moment to Forget: The performance of Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw. He showed no signs of having been overworked in the NL Division Series, giving up only two hits through seven innings.

Another Moment to Forget: A solo home run by the Dodgers' Gonzalez in the second inning spoiled an otherwise strong outing by Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks. It also was the only scoring either team generated in the game.

Wins Needed to Break the Curse: 7

Next Game: Cubs at Dodgers, 7:08 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18

Historical Context: The Game 2 matchup between Kershaw and Hendricks was the first playoff game between starters with ERAs below 2.25 since the 1968 World Series when the Detroit Tigers' Denny McClain and St. Louis Cardinals’ Bob Gibson faced each other twice, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Gibson beat McClain in both games, but the Tigers won the series.

Around the Playoffs

Game 4, ALCS: Cleveland Indians at Toronto Blue Jays (Indians lead the series, 2-0), 7:08 p.m. Monday, Oct. 17.

photo via Patch archives

Like What You're Reading? Stay Patched In!

• Like our Crime page on Facebook
• Live Traffic and Transit Updates