NL Pennant Rematch

The last time the Chicago Cubs faced the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was for the National League pennant. The stakes aren’t quite as high for Thursday’s matchup (2:20 PM ET, MLBN) at Wrigley Field, but once October rolls around, don’t be surprised if the same two teams wind up in the NL Championship Series once again.

The Cubs are expected to give southpaw Brett Anderson (3.94 FIP in 2015) the nod for Thursday’s game, the finale of a three-game set. Anderson was with the Dodgers in 2016, but he missed most of the season with assorted injuries and signed a one-year deal with Chicago in late January. Very few of his former LA teammates have ever faced Anderson at the major-league level.

It hasn’t been made official yet at press time, but it’s believed Los Angeles will respond with another lefty, Hyun-Jin Ryu (2.62 FIP in 2014). Ryu, a former seven-time All-Star in the Korean League, missed the entire 2015 campaign after surgery on his left shoulder labrum, then was shut down in 2016 with elbow problems. He gave up two runs over 4.2 innings in his season debut, Friday’s 2-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies (+124 away).