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10	April 2018

l learning what it takes to win consistently.He comes in here every single day and he hasnt complained once, wide

Go inside the numbers and matchups that will decide Sunday nights showdown between the Cubs and Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLCS. Nicklas Lidstrom Jersey . What we learned in Game 1Oh, not much. Javier Baez stole home. Dexter Fowler played center field like Willie Mays. Joe Maddon was criticized for taking Jon Lester?out too soon. Aroldis Chapman blew a save in the eighth inning. Dave Roberts issued an intentional walk with runners on first and second. Miguel Montero hit the third pinch-hit grand slam in postseason history to break a 3-3 tie and almost break Wrigley Field in the process. Thats all. -- David SchoenfieldInside the pitching matchupWhen Clayton Kershaw is on the mound: The games best pitcher returns to the mound just three days after throwing seven pitches to get the save in Game 5 of the division series. Two days before that, he started Game 4 and threw 110 pitches on short rest. Factor in Kershaws history in postseason games of hitting a wall in the seventh inning, and the Dodgers may only look for six innings here unless hes particularly efficient.Anyway, despite missing two-plus months with a herniated disk, Kershaw was so dominant this year, some believe he deserves Cy Young consideration. In 21 starts in the regular season, he allowed 31 runs. He walked just 11 batters, and one of those was intentional. He struck out 172 batters in 149 innings and the opposition hit just .184 against him.Kershaw continues to evolve as a pitcher. He now throws his slider more than ever (33 percent of the time), as his fastball rate has dropped from 62 percent in 2012 to 50.6 percent. What makes his slider so tough is that unlike a lot of sliders, his actually ends up in the zone over 50 percent of the time, making it a pitch he can throw in any count, not just as a two-strike sit-em-down offering. Batters hit .138 against it. In his two playoff starts against the Nationals, however, he did go more to his fastball, in part because he was having problems commanding the slider on the inside part of the plate.Kershaw wasnt quite as dominant away from Dodger Stadium, as his ERA rose all the way to 2.31 ERA on the road, where he did allow seven of his eight home runs. He completely shut down left-handed batters (.138, no home runs in 138 at-bats), so look for the Cubs to sit Jason Heyward and load up with all right-handed or switch-hitters (with the exception of lefty?Anthony Rizzo, who will probably remain in the lineup). The Nationals took a patient approach, hoping to run up Kershaws pitch count; I would expect the Cubs to do the same thing. -- SchoenfieldWhen Kyle Hendricks is on the mound: Speaking of command, no starter had a higher rate of first-pitch strikes this season than Hendricks, who tied with Johnny Cueto at 68.4 percent. That goes a long way toward explaining how he led the NL with a 2.13 ERA.Hendricks ranks near the bottom of the league in fastball velocity, but his ERA wasnt just a product of the Cubs defense: He led major league starters in limiting hard contact. He does that by expertly changing speeds with his four-seamer, sinker, curveball, cutter and changeup -- and hitting his spots. Everything is to the corners -- away to lefties, away to righties. No starter had a higher percentage of pitches on the outer third of the strike zone than Hendricks (62 percent).Hendricks throws his fastball about half the time, as he increased the usage of his changeup and cutter this season. Both were deadly weapons as batters hit .135 against the changeup and .164 against the cutter, with good K rates of 29.5 and 25.3 percent. Indeed, dont be fooled by the lack of velocity: His strikeout rate is more than adequate, ranking 24th out of 74 qualified starters in the majors this season. As good as Hendricks was, Maddon may not ask him to go all that deep considering the Dodgers weaknesses against southpaws and the four lefties the Cubs are carrying in the bullpen. -- SchoenfieldPlayer in the spotlightAnthony Rizzo. He went 0-for-5 in Game 1 and is now 1-for-20 in the postseason. He had two stretches like this in the regular season (1-for-22 from April 8-14 and 1-for-25 from May 15-22) so he has gone through a slump like this before. -- SchoenfieldDid you know ...There are 137 players with at least 15 at-bats against Kershaw, and Dexter Fowlers .409 batting average (hes 18-for-44) ranks second among that group, trailing only Pirates catcher Chris Stewart (.529). -- ESPN Stats & InfoWhat will decide Sunday nights gameKershaws slider. During the regular season, Kershaw recorded 44 percent of his strikeouts with his slider. But in a small sample size, he has thrown that pitch a lot less in the postseason, and he hasnt had good results. While opponents OPS against his slider was .343 during the regular season, theyve generated a .955 OPS against it during the postseason, and he has gone from using it 33 percent of the time during the regular season to 26 percent during the NL Division Series. -- ESPN Stats & InfoChoosing sides: Who will win?The Cubs Kyle Hendricks cant buy a break in the postseason. He struggled last year, got pinged by a ground ball in his first outing this year, and now in Game 2 he faces the one pitcher in the majors who had a better ERA than he did. Maybe its time for his luck to turn? Clayton Kershaw is working at the end of an unusual string of usage, and Hendricks doesnt lose at home. I do worry about the wind -- with all of the Dodgers lefty power bats, it would be better for Hendricks if the breeze was off the lake. It should be another low-scoring one, and since its at Wrigley, Im going with the Cubs.?-- Brad Doolittle?Its a question of sharpness. Kyle Hendricks has hardly pitched after leaving his lone postseason start with a forearm injury, while Clayton Kershaw has been pressed into extra duty so far. The results for both will be more runs given up than normal. The Cubs will prevail as theyve proved to be late-inning warriors.?-- Jesse Rogers?Kershaw is finally getting his October narrative under control, and that will continue in Game 2 of the NLCS. The left-hander had an unusual week with 110 pitches on short rest and a seven-pitch save two days later, but he appears poised and ready for his first NLCS start in three years. The Dodgers will steal one on the Cubs turf.?-- Doug PadillaWhere the series standsWell, it seems like the Dodgers need to win this game, no? Losing a Kershaw game and going back to Dodger Stadium down two games to none and having to face Jake Arrieta doesnt sound like much fun. Then throw in the fact that Rich Hill or Julio Urias arent likely to go deep into a start and the Cubs have all those lefty relievers to match up against you and ... good luck, big guy.?-- Schoenfield Darren Helm Jersey . Dallas hasnt ruled out the star quarterback for Sunday nights game against Philadelphia, but all signs point to Romos back injury pushing Kyle Orton into the starting role after two years of limited play as the backup. Surely Ortons name isnt the first that comes to mind for fans wanting a change after years of damaging interceptions, fumbles or, most infamously, the field goal flub when Romo dropped the snap on a kick that could have won his first playoff game in 2006. Anthony Mantha Jersey . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history. http://www.cheapredwingsjerseyschina.com/ . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. AMES, Iowa -- Establishing the run has been something Iowa State has wanted to accomplish all season.The Cyclones finally found their ground game in last weeks win at Kansas and theyre hoping that blueprint can help them finish yet another lost season on a high note.Iowa State (2-8, 1-6 Big 12) rushed for 238 yards on 46 carries in a 31-24 victory over the Jayhawks that snapped a five-game losing skid. True freshman David Montgomery led the way with a career-high, 169-yard effort that earned him Big 12 newcomer of the week honors.Montgomery and the Cyclones host Texas Tech (4-6, 2-5) Saturday as part of a two-game home stand to close out 2016.A lot of what David has done is a credit to his process and his work ethic. I really appreciate his detail and maturity, Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said. Hes really worked hard at studying the game on film and being locked in.Despite a makeshift offensive line, Iowa State thought it had a chance to be a decent running team because it had Mike Warren, the nations leading freshman running back in 2015.But with Warren struggling with an ankle injury, Montgomery stepped in and gave the Cyclones a welcome boost.Montgomery, a Cincinnati native who rushed for 41 touchdowns on 10.1 yards per carry as a high school senior a year ago, was one of the most promising players in Campbells first recruiting class. Campbell immediately saw Montgomerys speed as an asset for a program with needs across the board.Montgomery averaged at least four yards per carry in each of his first seven Big 12 games. He is at 5.1 yards per carry overall, despite not getting much of a chance to develop the rhythm that comes with extendeed playing time. Womens Red Wings Jerseys. The promise Montgomery showed in a 34-24 loss to No. 8 Oklahoma two weeks ago came to fruition against the Jayhawks. He averaged seven yards a carry as Iowa State scored 28 of the games final 38 points.At some point you go with the hot hand too. And he had the hot hand, Campbell said. The tenacity that he was running with on Saturday led us to say that we really (keep) giving the ball to the guy whos really running well.But the most surprising development in Iowa States rushing attack has been the rise of walk-on Mitchell Harger.Harger, a redshirt senior from Alburnett, Iowa, a town of less than 1,000 people, spent his first three years with the Cyclones as a special teams player. His only notable moment came last year at West Virginia, when he converted a fake punt.But with Iowa State trailing Kansas 24-16, Campbell gave Harger a chance as a lead back for one series.Harger ran the ball eight times out of nine plays, driving Iowa State down the field before scoring from six yards out on third-and-goal.Harger might not play much more this season as Warren gets healthier and Montgomery continues to improve. But Hargers work ethic and attitude have rubbed off on a team still learning what it takes to win consistently.He comes in here every single day and he hasnt complained once, wide receiver Allen Lazard said. Hes always worked extremely hard. Hes just happy to be here. It just makes me appreciate my life because I am a scholarship guy.---More college football at www.collegefootball.ap.org Cheap Authentic Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys China Jerseys Cheap Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap Jerseys Store Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '