First pitch: Tuesday, 8:05 p.m. ET
NL Championship Series – Game 3
Line: New York -120, Chicago +110, Total: 9

The Mets will be looking to take a 3-0 series lead when they face the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday.

The Mets took a 2-0 lead in this series after winning 4-1 at home in Game 2 on Sunday. This team has been playing extremely well lately and that is mostly because of its ability to pitch. New York has allowed two or less runs in three straight games and it will be tough to beat if it can keep that up moving forward. The Mets will have a good job of doing so also, as RHP Jacob deGrom (16-8, 2.47 ERA, 225 K) is on the mound in this game. He’ll be going up against RHP Kyle Hendricks (8-7, 4.00 ERA, 174 K), who is making his first start since Oct. 10 in this one. New York is 52-18 against the money line when the money line is -100 to -150 this season. The team is also 14-1 against the money line after scoring four runs or less in three straight games on the year. Chicago, meanwhile, is 12-1 against the money line in home games after four straight games where the team stranded seven or less runners on base this season. SS Ruben Tejada (Leg) is out for the season for the Mets and SS Addison Russell (Hamstring) is expected to miss the rest of this series for the Cubs.

Jacob deGrom has had an unbelievable postseason thus far, allowing two earned runs while striking out 20 batters in 13.0 innings of work. One thing that isn’t looking great for him is the fact that he did not pitch well against the Cubs this season. In two starts against Chicago, deGrom allowed seven earned runs and 12 hits in 12.1 innings of work. He has, however, been hot lately and should be able to overcome this lineup. Offensively, 2B Daniel Murphy (.357, 5 HR, 8 RBI in playoffs) has been the story of the postseason. He has been on fire in October and has homered in four straight games for New York, going 7-for-15 at the plate in those contests. It’s not likely that he’ll keep providing this power, but if he can keep hitting then his team will be in great shape. Another guy that has had a very good postseason is OF Curtis Granderson (.375, 7 RBI). Granderson has been getting on base at will and has scored three runs over the past three games. If he is able to get on then Murphy and the top of the order will have more available runners to drive in.

The Cubs need a win in Game 3 and Kyle Hendricks is going to have to put in a career performance if that is going to be a possibility for Chicago. The starter struggled in his only other playoff start, allowing three earned runs on three homers in 4.2 innings of work against the Cardinals on Oct. 10. Being forced to go toe-to-toe with deGrom will not be easy for him and he must keep his composure and turn in something close to a quality start on Tuesday. Two guys in Chicago’s lineup that will be looking forward to the matchup with the Mets ace are 3B Kris Bryant (.185, 1 HR, 3 RBI in playoffs) and 1B Anthony Rizzo (.167, 2 HR, 2 RBI in playoffs). Bryant was 1-for-2 with a homer and two RBI against deGrom this season and Rizzo is 3-for-9 with a homer and two RBI against the starter in his career. They both have plenty of power and will be looking to take him yard on Tuesday as well. Both players are, however, struggling in the postseason and need to find their grooves fast.