Wartezimmer » mgarner will get the ball when the series shifts to S

Wow. If Game 2 is anything like the Giants-Cubs opener, its going to be an intense night at Wrigley Field when San Francisco tries to get even with Chicago. Who has the edge??Go inside the numbers and matchups that will decide Saturdays game, and then vote for which team will win at the bottom of the page.Inside the pitching matchupWhen Jeff Samardzija is on the mound: The free agent delivered exactly what the Giants could have expected, making 32 starts, topping 200 innings, and producing a solid 3.81 ERA. Samardzija works off a 93-95 mph fastball that doesnt generate a high rate of swings and misses but does generate an above-average ground ball rate, especially when he throws the two-seamer.Samardzijas primary secondary pitches in recent years have been a slider and cutter, but in August he suddenly resurrected a curveball he hadnt thrown since 2012, essentially dropping the cutter in the process. The cutter had actually been a pretty effective pitch for him -- batters hit .213/.244/.361 against it -- but the curveball has been even more effective, holding batters to a .179 average in a small sample size so far. Since Samardzija doesnt throw a changeup, the curveball gives him a lower-velocity offspeed pitch to go with the 87 mph slider. The curve is thrown in the low 80s, so maybe the change in speeds will improve the effectiveness of a fastball that batters hit .322/.381/.519 against. (Indeed, his OPS against his fastball went down in August and September). -- David SchoenfieldWhen Kyle Hendricks is on the mound: Speaking of throwing first-pitch strikes, nobody had a higher rate of them than Hendricks, tied with Johnny Cueto at 68.4 percent. That goes a long way to 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 half of the plate than Hendricks, with 62 percent of his pitches on the outer third of the strike zone.Hendricks throws his fastball about half the time, increasing 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 starters. How do you beat him? Its not easy. You can hope he elevates a fastball or misses over the middle, but he doesnt do that often. Knowing he pounds the strike zone, you can try to jump on him early in the count. He didnt have a large platoon split, so thats not a major factor. The Giants do put the ball in play, so maybe their ability to foul off pitches will come into play, waiting for Hendricks to make a mistake. -- SchoenfieldPlayer in the spotlightBuster Posey. Poseys power disappeared in the second half with only three home runs and he hit only .257 in September. Poseys postseason history at the plate isnt good -- a weak .241/.318/.319 line entering this series over 49 games, with only four home runs. The Giants won the World Series in 2014 even though Posey didnt have an extra-base hit the entire postseason. I doubt they can win if that happens again. -- SchoenfieldWhat will decide tonights gameIf Samardzijas curveball can quiet the Cubs bats. He used his curveball 15 percent of the time in the second half after not throwing a single curve in the first. Opponents hit just .179 on the pitch with a .425 OPS. It would be prudent for Samardzija to throw the curve Saturday ... a lot. The Cubs hit just .193 off curveballs this season, 25th in the majors. Their .577 OPS ranked 20th. Who specifically should he use it against? Addison Russell hit .122 against curveballs this season, 141st of 146 qualifying hitters.?--?Sarah Langs, ESPN Stats & InfoChoosing sides: Who will win?As good as Hendricks was this year, with barely a mistake for six months, he still has to prove himself in October. Last postseason, he failed to make it out of the fifth inning in both starts. I expect a higher-scoring game, which isnt saying much after Fridays 1-0 affair, but Samardzija will outpitch Hendricks by just enough. -- Mark SaxonThis is the matchup the Cubs have been waiting for even if they didnt know it. What they do know is Samardzija. He is decidedly more hittable than Cueto, as he has given up 14 hits in 10 innings to his former team -- and the Cubs have scored nine runs off him. Meanwhile, the aggressive Giants will be sliced and diced by Hendricks, leading to a pull-away victory by the home team. -- Jesse RogersWe saw the template for how this series is likely to go in Game 1. Hendricks and his 1.32 home ERA are tough to beat, but we know the Giants wont be rattled by their rough loss Friday. Win Saturday and they still split and have Madison Bumgarner looming in Game 3. Still, Hendricks has just been too good at Wrigley and as solid as Samardzija has been, the Cubs starter has been on a different level. Cubs go up 2-0.?-- Bradford DoolittleWhere the series standsAfter a thrilling Game 1 win, the Cubs have a chance to push the Giants to the brink on Saturday night -- and they better capitalize on it, because Bumgarner will get the ball when the series shifts to San Francisco. ?--?ESPN.com Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 Australia .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. Onitsuka Tiger Womens Sale . Wall made the comment in a speech to a Regina business crowd that included Lesnar. The U.S. wrestler and retired mixed martial artist says he was visiting his brothers farm in Saskatchewan and decided he wanted to hear what the premier had to say. http://www.onitsukatigersaleaustralia.com/asics-onitsuka-tiger-australia/onitsuka-tiger-mexico-mid-runner.html . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. Asics Kayano 21 Womens Sale . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky. Asics Kayano Womens Sale . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. (STATS) -- National power Sam Houston State led the way with eight first-team selections and 14 overall when the Southland Conference preseason team was announced Wednesday.Sam Houston, an FCS semifinalist in four of the last five seasons, placed offensive linemen Bridge Blount and Curtis Riser, running back Corey Avery, wide receiver Yedidiah Louis, defensive end P. J. Hall, defensive back Darion Flowers and place-kicker Luc Swimberghe on the first team. Louis also was named to the first team at the all-purpose back position.Central Arkansas had the second-most selections with 10 and defending Southland champion McNeese had nine.Twenty of the 58 selections returned from last seasons postseason all-conference team, including Southland player of the year Kade Harrington of Lamar and freshman of the year Jabari Butler of Abilene Christian.The Southlands two preseason polls -- coaches and sports information directors -- will be announced next Wednesday at media day in Lake Charles, Louisiana.---=SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PRESEASON TEAM=First TeamOffenseQB -- Zach Conque, Stephen F. Austin, Sr.RB -- Kade Harrington, Lamar, Sr.RB -- Corey Avery, Sam Houston State, Jr.TE/HB -- Zach Hetrick, McNeese State, Sr.WR -- Desmond Smith, Central Arkansas, Sr.WR -- Kent Shelby, McNeese State, Jr.WR -- Yedidiah Louis, Sam Houston State, Jr.OL -- Bret Treadway, Lamar, Sr.OL -- Stockton Mallet, Central Arkansas, Jr.OL -- Mason Martin, McNeese State, Sr.OL -- Bridge Blount, Sam Houston State, Sr.OL -- Curtis Riser, Sam Houston State, Sr.AP -- Yedidiah Louis, Sam Houston State, Jr.PK -- Luc Swimberghe, Sam Houston State, Sr.DefenseDL -- P.J. Hall, Sam Houston State, Jr.DL -- Isaiah Golden, McNeese State, Jr.DL -- Larance Hale, Lamar, Sr.DL -- John Franklin, Stephenn F.dddddddddddd Austin, Jr.LB -- Sam Denmark, Abilene Christian, Jr.LB -- Ashari Goins, McNeese State, Jr.LB -- Antreon Bennett, Southeastern Louisiana, Sr.DB -- Tremon Smith, Central Arkansas, Jr.DB -- Jabari Butler, Abilene Christian, So.DB -- Dominique Hill, McNeese State, Jr.DB -- B.T. Sanders, Nicholls, Sr.DB -- Darian Flowers, Sam Houston State, Sr.P -- Christian Guzman, Houston Baptist, Jr.KR -- Rodney Randle, Lamar, So.PR -- Brandon Cox, Central Arkansas, Jr.Second TeamOffenseQB -- Jeremiah Briscoe, Sam Houston State, Jr.RB -- Ryan Ross, McNeese State, Jr.RB -- DeMard Llorens, Northwestern State, Sr.TE/HB -- Cody Dauksch, Central Arkansas, Sr.WR -- Jatavious Wilson, Central Arkansas, Sr.WR -- Davion Davis, Sam Houston State, So.WR -- Shakeir Ryan, Northwestern State, Sr.OL -- Riley Mayfield, Abilene Christian, Jr.OL -- Terrance Boyd, Northwestern State, Sr.OL -- Dakota Laws, Abilene Christian, So.OL -- Sam Hardy, Sam Houston State, Sr.OL -- Travis Romero, Southeastern Louisiana, Jr.AP -- Jatavious Wilson, Central Arkansas, Sr.PK -- NoneDefenseDL -- Luis Carreno, Sam Houston State, Sr.DL -- Jammerio Gross, McNeese State, Jr.DL -- Terrence Partee, Central Arkansas, Sr.DL -- Sione Latu, Sam Houston State, Sr.LB -- Josh Zellars, Incarnate Word, Sr.LB -- Collins Okotcha, Sam Houston State, So.LB -- Garrett Dolan, Houston BaptistDB -- Jermaine Antoine, McNeese State, Jr.DB -- George Odum, Central Arkansas, Jr.DB -- Brendan Langley, Lamar, Sr.DB -- Adrian Norwood, Incarnate Word, Sr.DB -- Patrick Martin, Stephen F. Austin, Sr.P -- NoneKR -- Jatavious Wilson, Central Arkansas, Sr.PR -- Jordan Hicks, Incarnate Word, Sr. ' ' '