The two National League Division Series both begin on Friday. The defending World Series Champion Chicago Cubs head to the nation's capital to take on the Washington Nationals. The Arizona Diamondbacks, fresh off their National League Wild Card Game victory over the Colorado Rockies will be on the road facing the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Here is a look at the four pitchers who will be starting in the two opening games of the National League Division Series. It includes how they fared in the regular season, if they are entering the playoffs hot or cold, what their results were during the regular season against their Friday opponent, and their postseason history.
Kyle Hendricks, Cubs
Hendricks gets the ball to start the National League Division Series for the Cubs. The 27-year-old led the majors in 2016 with a 2.03 ERA and followed that up this year with a 3.03 ERA in 24 starts. He finished with a 7-5 record during the regular season with 123 strikeouts in 139.2 innings.
After going through some early-season struggles and missing a month and a half with a hand injury, Hendricks has been a much better pitcher since returning on July 24. In 13 starts since his return from injury, he has a 2.19 ERA. He gave up one earned run or less in eight of those starts including the last three.
Hendricks made just one start against the Nationals in the regular season.
He took the loss, but he pitched fairly well giving up three runs in seven innings.
Hendricks has pitched well in his seven career postseason starts, but he has just a 1-1 record to show for it. He started four games total in the National League Championship Series and World Series last year for Chicago giving up just two earned runs in 21.2 innings.
Stephen Strasburg, Nationals
With Max Scherzer dealing with a hamstring issue, Strasburg will be the Nationals starter in Game 1. He is far from being just a contingency plan though as he went 15-4 with a 2.52 ERA in 28 starts. In 175.1 innings, he struck out 204 batters.
All Strasburg has done recently is record the second-best ERA ever after the All-Star Break at 0.86 (minimum of 10 starts).
He went 6-1 in 10 starts after the break with a 0.81 WHIP and 76 strikeouts in 62.2 innings. He allowed just two hits in 7.2 innings in his last regular season start of the year against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 29-year-old faced the Cubs once this season and picked up the win on June 28. He went seven innings giving up three runs (two earned), four hits, and one walk while striking out 13.
Strasburg missed the playoffs last year due to injury as well as in 2012 when he was on an innings limit. His postseason history consists of just one start against the Giants in 2014. He took the loss giving up two runs (one earned), eight hits, and a walk in five innings.
Taijuan Walker, Diamondbacks
After Zach Greinke and Robbie Ray both pitched in the Diamondbacks win over the Rockies on Wednesday in the National League Wild Card Game, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo will send Taijuan Walker to the mound to begin Game 1.
In his first season with Arizona, Walker went 9-9 with a 3.49 ERA in 28 starts. He finished the regular season with 146 strikeouts in 157.1 innings.
The 25-year-old pitched well to end the regular season going 3-2 with a 2.55 ERA over his last eight starts. Walker struck out more than a batter an inning and allowed just three home runs. He allowed one run or less in five of the eight starts.
He started against the Dodgers three times during the regular season. Arizona won all three games, and Walker was the winning pitcher in two of them. He allowed six runs in 16.2 innings with 17 strikeouts.
This will be Walker's first career playoff appearance. His four seasons were with the Seattle Mariners, a team that hasn't reached the postseason since 2001.
Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
Kershaw is a no-brainer choice to start Game 1 for the Dodgers, although he has experienced previous playoff struggles. The three-time National League Cy Young winner made 27 starts during the regular season finishing with a 18-4 record with a 2.31 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 202 strikeouts in 175 innings. He led the National League in ERA, the fifth time he has done so.
The 29-year-old has made six starts since returning from a back injury that cost him a little over a month of action. Kershaw has taken turns having a good start and following it with a bad one by his standards in those six starts. Altogether, he went 3-2 with a 3.48 ERA in 33.2 innings since his return from injury.
Kershaw saw Arizona two times during the regular season winning both games. The Diamondbacks hitters were shut down in both games as Kershaw went 15.1 innings only giving up one run and six hits while striking out 19.
As dominant a regular season pitcher as he has been, Kershaw hasn't replicated that in the playoffs. He has appeared in 18 games (14 starts) in the postseason and is 4-7 with a 4.55 ERA. He pitched in five games (four starts) during last year's playoffs against the Nationals and Cubs and went 2-1 with a 4.44 ERA.
