Los Angeles @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 15, 2016 ) LA Dodgers 4, Chi. Cubs 8

Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw will try to help the Los Angeles Dodgers avoid an 0-2 hole when he takes the mound on Sunday in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against the host Chicago Cubs. Los Angeles battled back to forge a tie before giving up five runs in the eighth inning to fall 8-4 on Saturday in the series opener.

Kershaw pitched in all three victories of the NL Division Series against Washington and owns a 5-3 career record with a 2.14 ERA against the Cubs, but he did not face them in 2016. Chicago will counter with Kyle Hendricks, who is healthy after suffering a forearm injury in the NLDS win over San Francisco and beat the Dodgers with eight innings of two-run ball on June 2. Miguel Montero belted a pinch-hit grand slam to break the tie Saturday while Kris Bryant and Javier Baez remained hot as both are 8-for-20 in the first five postseason games. The Cubs have won all three playoff games at Wrigley Field and finished a major league-best 57-24 at home during the regular season.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers LH Clayton Kershaw (1-0, 5.84 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Kyle Hendricks (0-0, 4.91)

Kershaw has given up eight runs and 15 hits over 11 2/3 innings during the playoffs but got the final two outs for a save in Game 5 against Washington on Thursday. The 28-year-old Texan went 12-4 with a 1.69 ERA in the regular season despite losing three of his final four decisions. Dexter Fowler is 18-for-44 versus Kershaw, who is 3-6 with a 4.79 ERA in the postseason and went 4-3 with a 2.31 ERA on the road in 2016.

Hendricks gave up two runs and four hits over 3 2/3 innings against San Francisco in the NLDS before getting hit by a batted ball and leaving the contest. The 26-year-old Dartmouth product went 7-1 in his last 10 starts during the regular season and had a 1.68 ERA after the All-Star break. Adrian Gonzalez and Justin Turner both have homered versus Hendricks, who was 9-2 with a 1.32 ERA at home this year.

WALK-OFFS

1. Bryant and Baez have hit in five straight games to start the postseason, one shy of the club record shared by Mickey Livingston and Moises Alou.

2. Gonzalez has belted six homers in postseason play for the Dodgers, tied for third in franchise history with Ron Cey and Davey Lopes.

3. Chicago 1B Anthony Rizzo (1-for-20), RF Jason Heyward (2-for-18) and SS Addison Russell (1-for-19) have yet to heat up in the playoffs.

PREDICTION: Cubs 4, Dodgers 3