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It has been a long time coming for the Chicago Cubs, but the oddsmakers believe that Chicago’s North Side baseball team will be celebrating at the conclusion of this year’s World Series.

The Cubs are -190 favorites over the Cleveland Indians, according to Odds Shark, while the Indians are +170 underdogs. The Cubs are attempting to win their first World Series since 1908, while the Tribe are trying to bring home their first title since 1948.

The Cubs are slight favorites to win Game 1 of the World Series Tuesday night at Progressive Field in Cleveland with odds of -113, while the Indians are -103 to take the opener.

Recent historical trends indicate that winning the World Series opener is vital, as nine of the last 10 Game 1 winners have gone on to win the World Series. The lone exception came in 2009, when the New York Yankees lost the opener at home to the Philadelphia Phillies but went on to win the championship in six games.

The first game comes with a full menu of drama, as both teams will start their aces. Corey Kluber gets the ball for the Indians, and in addition to having a wonderful regular season, he has been on point during the postseason.

Kluber was 18-9 during the regular season with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.056 WHIP. He also struck out 227 batters in 215.0 innings.

Kluber has a 2-1 postseason record along with a 0.98 ERA and a 0.857 WHIP. He has 20 strikeouts in 18.1 innings.

Jon Lester, a World Series hero during his run with the Boston Red Sox, will take the mound at Progressive Field for the Cubs. Lester was brilliant during the season with a 19-5 record, a 2.44 ERA and a 1.016 WHIP.

Lester has given up two earned runs in 21.0 innings during the current postseason, and he has also been remarkable throughout his career in the World Series. He has a 3-0 record with a 0.43 ERA and 0.762 WHIP.

The key for the home team is to have a lead in the middle part of the game, because that’s when manager Terry Francona likes to turn the game over to his outstanding bullpen.

Since Kluber is on the mound in Game 1, it is realistic to think that he should be able to get through the sixth inning and pitch into the seventh if there are no signs of trouble. At that point, the manager can give the ball to ace left-hander Andrew Miller, who can pitch through the eighth inning before letting closer Cody Allen pitch the ninth inning.

If Francona wants to go to his bullpen sooner, such as the fifth inning, he can get Bryan Shaw and Dan Otero involved.

The bullpen may be the one area where the Cubs are at a disadvantage in this series. This is not a weak spot for manager Joe Maddon, but Miller is probably the best reliever in all of baseball, and he is coming off an MVP performance in the American League Championship Series.

If the Cubs have the lead in the ninth, flamethrower Aroldis Chapman will get the ball. He can reach 103 mph on the radar gun (or even higher), but he has been hit hard on occasion and is not a guarantee to secure a save with a one- or two-run lead.

The Cubs have a powerful lineup with Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell and Javier Baez, and they will get a lift with the return of slugger Kyle Schwarber. The powerful left-handed hitter has been out since early April with an ACL tear, but the Cubs activated him on Tuesday.

The Indians have a couple of power hitters of their own in Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana, as both men hit 34 home runs this season. Shortstop Francisco Lindor, second baseman Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall are all solid offensive contributors.

Prop Bet

Based on the odds listed for the potential World Series Most Valuable Player, it seems the Cubs are likely to come away with the championship.

Four Cubs are listed among the top five candidates to come away with the World Series MVP Award. Kris Bryant is the favorite at +600, according to Odds Shark. Lester is the second choice at +750.

Miller is the only Indian to make the top five, and he has odds of +900, and that’s slightly better than Rizzo at +950. 

Jake Arrieta, the 2015 Cy Young Award winner, is +1200 to win the honor as the World Series MVP.

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The Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians are hours away from Game 1 of the World Series. The world, to my knowledge, has not yet ended. Hell has not frozen over; a deadly plague has not befallen the human race; Andre 3000 has not released a solo album.

Which means one of these teams will actually win a championship.

The Indians haven’t hoisted a World Series trophy since 1948. The Cubs haven’t even played for one since 1945. Tack on another four decades if you want to know how long it’s been since the franchise has actually won the whole thing.

A Cubs-Indians World Series feels about as likely as a Taylor Swift-Kanye West collaboration album. And, if the last few weeks are any indication, it might be about halfway as dope. Cleveland has gotten to the Fall Classic on the guile of a makeshift pitching staff, surviving drone accidents, spot starts and a heavy lean on the bullpen.

The Cubs were a regular-season freight train that looked to be going off the rails in back-to-back shutout losses against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Then they put up 23 runs across three straight wins and flexed their muscles to reach the World Series.

Here is a look at what each manager and starting pitcher is saying ahead of the historic Game 1.

What They’re Saying

Cubs Manager Joe Maddon

Maddon discussed his relationship with Terry Francona. Unfortunately, it appears, they have never played cribbage together:

Well, Tito and I got to be friends just through managing against. When he was with Boston, I was with Tampa Bay, we did a lot of talking. There were different times when they were attracted to some of our free agents and we talked about that. But, I mean, I’ve gotten the same impression that everybody else has, he’s gregarious, easy to get to know, a good friend, and a very good manager.

So we got to know each other on that level. It’s not a social kind of a thing. We’ve never gone out. I’ve never had a chance to play cribbage with him. I guess he likes to play cribbage. But he’s a wonderful man, and he’s done a great job in a couple different places, so I’m very happy for his success.

Much of the city of Chicago—and the nation—has focused on what winning a championship would mean for the Cubs. Maddon said his team is fully focused and not looking ahead:

I promise you, our guys are going to be in the present tense. I think we all have a tremendous amount of respect for history and what’s happened before us or not happened before us. But, you know, you go in that room right now, they’re very young. Really not impacted by a lot of the lure, I don’t think, other than the fact that we are impacted by our city and our fans and the people that attend our games and the conversations that we have, absolutely, an impactful moment.

Maddon nonetheless said he’s embracing the pressure:

I’ve said it probably a hundred times this year, I think it’s great. I really addressed that point in Spring Training. In Spring Training, there was an inordinate amount of expectations and pressure that was heaped upon us, and I tried to convince our guys that’s a good thing. Why would you ever want to do anything or be part of a situation or moment that did not have great expectations? And I think they’re synonymous terms. Expectations and pressure probably become synonymous. And why would you ever want to run away from that? The alternative right now I could be in Tampa cooking steaks in my backyard, making sure DirecTV is working properly. And I’d much prefer this reality.

So I plan to enjoy it. I want our guys to enjoy the moment. I want them to take mental snapshots of everything that we’re doing out here.

Cubs Pitcher Jon Lester

Lester discussed what’s gone into his recent improvement with runners on base:

I don’t know. I mean, I guess it could be testament to our defense. I feel like our whole staff has done a really good job with runners on base, not just myself. So really our bullpen as well. So I think it’s a testament to our guys making quality pitches and then at the same time, our defense has played really well behind us.

So we’re not afraid of contact and letting these guys do their job as well. So it’s been, I think, a culmination of all of us just kind of bearing down.

Lester and Anthony Rizzo are unique in that they’re teammates who have battled cancer and returned to elite form. He discussed their bond:

Yeah, I mean, I think we have a unique bond just with everything in our past and what we’ve been through. I think that makes coming to a team like this as a new guy, last year, it made our relationship a little bit easier. You already had something that joined you. So that was good.

First time I met Anthony, five minutes after I met him, he fainted. So there were some interesting moments early on. But just talking to him through the years here and there and seeing what kind of inspiration this guy is to other people, not only on the field but off the field, and what he’s been able to do in the Chicago community and the community back home in Florida, I think, for me that’s the cool thing. I look up to him on that. I know how hard it is to do the things that he does outside of baseball, and he does them all over the place, and he puts his whole heart into it.

It’s fun to be his teammate, and it’s awesome to be a part of kind of the stuff he does off the field, the charitable stuff as well.

One of the most successful World Series pitchers in history, Lester talked about how he handles the moment:

I don’t know. I try to harness my emotions, but these stages sometimes — you know, I pitch with emotion and all that stuff. So sometimes it comes out. But as far as is pitching, I believe as I got done saying, it’s a cookie-cutter answer, but you execute your fastball, you execute your pitches. It works the same here as it does during the season. So I just try to take that mindset. […]

You have a routine, you have the stuff that you’re supposed to do day-in and day-out to prepare your body and prepare your mind for these moments. I feel like when I’m in that routine and I show up, now it’s the fun part. Now you get to pitch. You spend the other four days kind of busting your butt and sitting around to get to this point.

 

Indians Manager Terry Francona

Francona also discussed his relationship with Maddon:

I think Joe’s career speaks for itself. He started in Tampa and had the ability down there to kind of almost do what he wanted. He always pushed the envelope trying to do some things, whether it was playing four outfielders against Ortiz. The one thing he’s always had the ability to do is keep a clubhouse together, which is saying a lot, during the course of 162 games, keeping guys going in one direction. I mean, certainly there’s a lot more to him than that. He’s very intelligent. But just for the fact that he gets teams going and believing is a pretty big compliment in itself.

After managing the Red Sox to their first World Series in nearly nine decades in 2004, Francona knows a bit about ending droughts. It just doesn’t seem to factor into his thinking:

I know that’s a really cool thing for fans to talk about and stuff. It really doesn’t enter into what we’re doing. It’s so hard to win anyway. We’ll put all our energy into tomorrow, see if we can beat Lester, and whoever follows him, hopefully. Then if we win, we’ll move on. If we lose, we’ll move on and try to win the next day.

I just think if you look too far back, you look too far forward, you miss what’s right in front of you. So these players have earned the right to try to see if we can beat the Cubs, and that’s going to be a tall enough task. But I don’t think we need to go back and concern ourselves with 40, 50, 60 years ago.

Francona previously managed Lester in Boston and discussed their relationship:

He’s one of my favorites. He’s one of everybody’s favorites though, so that’s an easy one. I won’t be pulling for him tomorrow, but he’s very special. I’ve known his mom and dad for a long time, and he’s pretty special.

 

Indians Pitcher Corey Kluber

Kluber discussed the Indians’ resilience despite injuries in the rotation:

Injuries are a part of the game. It’s going to happen throughout the year. Obviously, we’ve had our fair share of them pitching-wise. But I think it’s just really guys embracing the challenges of stepping in and filling those shoes. Not really trying to do too much, but just really going out there and being the pitchers that they are, do what makes them good. I think it’s had good results for us.

Like everyone, Kluber seemed to want to focus on the moment at hand than the big picture:

Oh, I think you’re aware of it. Obviously, you’re in the World Series, and there’s two teams left and all that kind of stuff. But also at the same time, I think you’re so wrapped up in the moment of trying to prepare and do everything you can to be ready that. For me at least, it’s been all about getting prepared and being ready when it is time to throw that first pitch tomorrow. It will probably be something that will take more time to reflect on after the fact.

Kluber also highlighted what a special moment this is for Cleveland as a sports city:

It’s entertaining. I know at the last game they came to, it looked like they were having a good time up there. But, yeah, it was an unbelievable run they went on in the spring. It definitely sent a vibe through the city. You could just feel the energy through that run after they won and stuff like that. I think it’s been great. It’s been great for Cleveland the fact they won a championship, and hopefully we can bring them another one.

All transcriptions are from ASAP Sports.

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With the 2016 World Series getting underway Tuesday, the offseason is well underway for the remaining 28 teams.

If you’re not members of the Cleveland Indians or Chicago Cubs organizations, the focus has shifted to the future in a big way. The Cubs and Indians will both have their own free-agent issues to work out this winter, but they’re focused on more important things for the next week-plus.

The 2016 free-agent crop is led by a pack of hitters and is almost historically devoid of elite pitching talent. It’s very unlikely we see any nine-figure deals handed out to a starter, though there are a few bullpen guys who might approach big league records. They will be joined by a handful of solid power hitters who are unfortunately reaching the market at a time of a power surge.

As for the non-elites, here’s a look at a few underrated options in free agency.

Rich Hill, P, Los Angeles Dodgers

Hill’s short dalliance with the Dodgers did not go entirely as expected. He spent most of his post-Oakland tenure dealing with a lingering blister that limited the number and length of his starts. When Hill was in games, he was effective—just not enough to warrant Cy Young contention as he had earlier in the campaign.

Hill started three postseason games with progressively better results. He was hit up for four runs in 4.1 innings in his first start against the Washington Nationals but gave up only one earned over his final 8.2 innings of postseason work.

The free-agent-to-be resuscitated his career in 2015 with the Boston Red Sox and seemed open to a potential reunion.

“They gave me a great opportunity to prove myself again in the big leagues and I took that opportunity and made the most of it,” Hill said, per Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald. “There’s a lot of things that, and people there, in Boston, that are responsible for helping me develop into a better pitcher. And that is something that you know, I’ll never forget.

“Whether it was with (director of pitching analysis and development) Brian Bannister or (pitching coach) Carl Willis. Just the combination of those two guys. And also, just the overall opportunity that I did get there, I’ll never forget. Definitely translated over and started something for me that gave me a blueprint on moving forward.”

The Red Sox seem like a natural location for Hill, whose free agency will be interesting to watch. Heading into his age-37 season, no smart team is going to give him a long-term deal. The last two years have been his only real run of sustained MLB success.

But Boston’s staff is comfortable with him, and he could be a relative steal on a two-year contract.

Prediction: 3-year deal with Boston

Michael Saunders, OF, Toronto Blue Jays

Saunders looked to be earning himself a massive payday over the first half of the season, breaking out as a power-hitting outfielder in the Jays lineup.

Then things…fell completely apart. Like, not partially apart. Utterly and completely. Like the foundation of an old house crumbling in an earthquake.

After posting a .298/.372/.551 slash line with 16 home runs and 42 runs batted in before the break, Saunders saw almost every one of his offensive numbers cut in half the rest of the way. Literally. He hit .178/.282/.357 with eight homers and 16 runs batted in during the second half. It was perhaps the biggest downturn of any everyday player in baseball.

A Blue Jays executive categorized Saunders’ second half as “horrible” when talking to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball. It’s to the point the team is reportedly considering not even tendering him a qualifying offer in free agency.

While that would be an understandable move given the $17 million price tag, it opens the possibility that Saunders will find himself in the bargain bin. He averaged about two wins above replacement from 2012-14 with the Seattle Mariners, per FanGraphs, before injuries cut his first season in Toronto short.

Had he been able to put up even a below-average second half, Saunders would have passed the two-win number with room to spare in 2016. He’s a solid bat who doesn’t hurt you defensively and can plug in at the No. 6 hole without much of a problem.

For some reason, I think Saunders has Oakland written all over him.

Prediction: 2-year deal with Athletics

Mark Melancon, P, Washington Nationals

Most of the focus on relief pitching will rest on the shoulders of Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen. They’re the big-ticket items here, the anchors of the bullpens that comprised the National League finalists. If it weren’t for Chapman’s character concerns, he would have had a real chance at setting some records with his contract.

Ranked somewhere deep behind both of those men on most free-agent lists is Mark Melancon, who has quietly been one of the most consistent relievers in baseball the last four seasons. Melancon doesn’t do his work with sent-from-the-gods physical prowess but with a good repertoire of pitches and intelligence on the mound.

Splitting his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals, Melancon converted 47 of 51 save opportunities with a 1.64 ERA. He has an MLB-high 96 saves over the last two seasons.

Yet the Boston Globe‘s Nick Cafardo reported that some teams still view Melancon as a non-closer—someone who they could use to fill the seventh/eighth-inning roles. Melancon would be overqualified for that job and would likely command closer salary for any such arrangement. But there’s no one suggesting such nonsense for Chapman or Jansen.

That’s good news for the Nationals, who should and will make Melancon a free-agent priority. They spent most of their first half holding their breath in the ninth inning with Jonathan Papelbon on the mound. Melancon’s acquisition was critical in springing them to a division championship.

Nats management aren’t known as penny pinchers, so this should get done.

Prediction: 4-year deal with Nationals

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The Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs know they’re a part of history in the making.

The Indians have a chance to wrap up the best sports year in Cleveland’s history. More than five decades of futility ended when the Lake Erie Monsters won the Calder Cup, then came the Cleveland Cavaliers’ historic NBA Finals comeback. Now, it could be the Indians’ turn.

Heading into the playoffs, few thought Cleveland’s starting rotation could pass muster. Corey Kluber is a legitimate ace, but the Indians lost Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco to injuries late in the season.

That left Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin, who each finished the regular season with earned run averages over 4.00. Things got even more dire in the playoffs, when Bauer suffered a gruesome hand injury while fixing his drone at home.

Yet no matter the odds, the Indians kept persevering. They went 7-1 over their first eight playoff games—not despite their pitching, but because of it. Their staff went through the ALDS and ALCS never giving up any more than five runs in a single game and only allowing an opponent to hit the five-run mark once. 

Manager Terry Francona made all the right calls, including the decision to start little-known Ryan Merritt in Game 5 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Merritt threw 4.1 innings of peerless ball before giving way to the bullpen, which has been almost unhittable this postseason. Andrew Miller’s ability to stretch beyond one inning has essentially forced opponents to play six-inning games with the Indians.

Second baseman Jason Kipnis talked about playing for Francona with Kevin Kernan of the New York Post:

Tito is the forefront of us, in all we do. You are not going to find one guy in here who does not enjoy playing for him and doesn’t wish he would be their manager the rest of their careers.

Once you have a guy like Tito, you really don’t want anybody else to manage you. You are like, ‘This is the way it should be, this is the way I want it to be, this is the way I enjoy it.’ He’s so much fun and he lets you be who you are.

Francona will unsurprisingly turn to Kluber for Game 1. The righty took Cleveland’s only loss of these playoffs but threw a combined 13.1 innings of shutout baseball in his first two starts. He has thrown only one game against the Cubs in his career, giving up one run and racking up 11 strikeouts over 7.2 innings and earning a no-decision in 2015. 

The Cubs announced Jon Lester as their Game 1 starter, which was no surprise, given his career is littered with postseason success. Lester has started 17 playoff games, recording an 8-6 record with a 2.50 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. He’s been nothing short of sensational in 2016, going 2-0 and giving up two earned across 21 innings of work. 

Talking to reporters, Lester sounds every bit of a grizzled postseason veteran:

I don’t want to sound like a smart-ass, but we got a long ways to go. I know that manager on their side’s going to be prepared. I know their coaching staff’s going to be ready. I know their players are going to be ready, just based on one player alone, and that’s Mike Napoli. I know what he brings to the table. He helped transform our 2013 team.

Come Tuesday, we got to put the gloves back on. We got to get ready to fight and grind and do what we’ve done well all year. We got four more games to win.

Lester is part of a contingent of players the Cubs have signed over the last two offseasons to build this team up. President Theo Epstein underwent a massive rebuild by stocking the minors with talented young prospects before making a series of offseason splurges.

The Cubs spent their regular season scoring more than all but two MLB teams and allowing the fewest runs in baseball. Their lineup features five players who were voted All-Star starters, guys who came back from being shut out in back-to-back games to score 23 runs over their final three wins over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

There’s also a chance they’ll get Kyle Schwarber back as a designated hitter, per Jon Paul Morosi of the MLB Network. The young slugger spent the last six months rehabbing his tail off to get cleared in time for the Fall Classic.

“I think sometimes in the game today, it gets to the point where it’s just about acquiring a number,” Maddon said, per Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. “I’m a big believer in that, but I also like the balance between the person and what the back of his baseball card says. Our guys do a wonderful job of balancing the math with the actual person.”

That balance of statistics and personalities now has the Cubs four wins away from their first championship in more than a century.

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In less than two weeks, a combined 176 years of waiting will end, as either the Chicago Cubs or Cleveland Indians will be crowned World Series champions.

Having the Fall Classic begin at Progressive Field on the same night the Cleveland Cavaliers hoist their 2015-16 NBA championship banner at Quicken Loans Arena next door might seem like a mistake by the lake, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone complaining about the traffic.

That’ll be especially true if the Indians win.

How important is taking Game 1 of the World Series? Over the past 10 editions of the Fall Classic, the team that emerged victorious in the first contest went on to win it all nine times.

Only the New York Yankees, who lost Game 1 of the 2009 World Series to the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-1, bounced back from the initial loss. They took four of the Fall Classic’s next five games to clinch the franchise’s 27th World Series crown.

What follows is a look at the keys for each team to emerge victorious in the series-opening clash, which pits Cleveland’s Corey Kluber (18-9, 3.14 ERA) against Chicago’s Jon Lester (19-5, 2.44 ERA).

Indians: Be Aggressive on the Bases

It’s hard enough to get on base when Lester is on the mound, but if the Indians do, they’re in excellent shape to exploit the issues Chicago’s ace has throwing to first base, which have been well-documented.

Only two starters—New York’s Noah Syndergaard (48) and Milwaukee’s Jimmy Nelson (30)—allowed more stolen bases than Lester’s 28.

“We don’t have to steal bases to be a good baserunning team,” Indians manager Terry Francona told MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian before Game 1 of their American League Division Series against the Boston Red Sox. “I think that’s one of our strengths, and I think it will continue.”

While the Indians didn’t need to take off running in their three-game sweep of the Red Sox—the Tribe went 1-for-2 on stolen-base attempts in the ALDS—expect that to change in Game 1 of the World Series.

Whether it’s swiping a bag once they get on or taking an extra base on a ball hit into the outfield gaps, an aggressive approach on the basepaths will serve Cleveland well.

Cubs: Be Patient and Don’t Expand the Strike Zone

Like Lester, Kluber is a true workhorse, a battle-tested ace and a perennial Cy Young Award candidate. Translation: He’s really, really good at this pitching thing.

Only four current Cubs have ever reached base against Cleveland’s ace, and one of them—Chris Coghlan—could be left off Chicago’s World Series roster to make room for Kyle Schwarber, who is expected to serve as the team’s designated hitter after missing all but two games in 2016 with a knee injury.

All that helps to explain this, which comes with the following disclaimer: These numbers are scarier than any Halloween costume you’ll see next week:

While those are based on small sample sizes—only Ben Zobrist has had at least 10 at-bats (13) against Kluber from his time in the American League—the numbers are telling nonetheless.

Nearly 44 percent of the time these Cubs have faced Kluber, they’ve struck out. That includes five whiffs in seven at-bats—a whiff rate of more than 70 percent—for Dexter Fowler, the catalyst atop the lineup. The Cubs need a far better showing from him in Game 1.

Kluber loves to work away from right-handed batters, making them chase pitches out of the strike zone, while he jams left-handers low-and-inside. If he’s throwing his slider to a left-handed hitter, odds are the pitch will wind up right near the batter’s back foot. Good luck making solid contact with that.

If the Cubs are to have any success against Kluber, they’ll have to lay off those pitches and wait for one over the plate. Force Kluber to throw strikes.

Both Teams: Score First

It’s a simple premise. One that, on the surface, might seem too simple to include as a key in the biggest game that either franchise has played in more than a decade. But it’s also a premise based in clear, indisputable fact.

Per Sports Illustrated‘s Tom Verducci: “Teams that score first this postseason win 70.4 percent of the time, including 100 percent of the time in the League Championship Series (10-0).”

That makes getting on the board first kind of a big deal, no?

We aren’t likely to see a slugfest with Lester and Kluber on the mound. And while the Indians have the deeper bullpen, both teams have the late-inning relief needed to hold on to any lead.

In a contest in which one run could be the difference between winning and losing—and, realistically, perhaps the only run on the board for either team—scoring first takes on a new level of importance.

Unless otherwise noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

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One team’s prolonged championship drought will end in the 2016 World Series, as the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians start the last leg of their playoff journeys in Game 1 on Tuesday.

The Cubs’ MLB title drought is already well-known, as the team has gone without a championship since 1908. The Cubs are making their first World Series appearance since 1945, and they’ll look to their top postseason arm to lead them to a tough road win.

On the other hand, Cleveland has not won the World Series since 1948, which is the longest drought in the American League. The Indians will also trot out an ace on Tuesday in what seems likely to be a low-scoring affair.

Let’s take a look at the schedule and preview for Game 1 of the Fall Classic.

Game 1 Preview

Jon Lester is set to take the hill for the Cubs to kick off the series, and he has been excellent during his postseason career. 

In 19 appearances—17 of them starts—Lester is 8-6 with a 2.50 ERA and a 3.74 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He’s been even better this postseason, with a 2-0 mark and a 0.86 ERA in three starts. Lester’s World Series history also suggests he should be comfortable on Tuesday night, per ESPN Stats & Info:

However, Lester’s matchup against this Indians lineup suggests his stout playoff numbers may not hold up.

Cleveland was among the best teams in the majors against left-handed pitching this season, ranking sixth overall with a .268 club average. Lester also has a shaky history against many of the current Indians:

Lester hasn’t allowed more than one run in any start this postseason, but that streak may be in jeopardy. Cleveland has shown it can hit the lefty, and it will surely be amped by the rowdy home crowd. That could result in some early offense.

Lester will still pitch well, but he could give up a few runs on Tuesday.

As for his counterpart, Corey Kluber is another formidable arm that is also dominating in these playoffs.

In three starts, the 2014 Cy Young winner is 2-1 with a 0.98 ERA. Kluber put up these numbers against two of the top offenses in baseball, as the Boston Red Sox led the league in scoring this season and the Toronto Blue Jays lineup boasts some scary talent, including Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion and Troy Tulowitzki.

Those three starts continued a trend of dominance that Kluber has enjoyed since the All-Star break. In the second half of the regular season, he was 9-1 with a 2.52 ERA. 

Thanks to its phenomenal bullpen, Cleveland has not needed many innings from its starters. But Kluber has been the exception to that, as he has a solid 18.1 innings of work this postseason. That raises the pressure on Kluber to go deeper into games to preserve the bullpen if this series goes long.

Kluber does not have much experience against the Cubs, with Dexter Fowler and Ben Zobrist being the only players with more than three at-bats against the Cleveland starter. In addition, Chicago has been streaky offensively this postseason, so there is little certainty as to how it will produce on Tuesday.

With both starters likely to be solid, this game could come down to the bullpen, giving Cleveland an edge. Led by Andrew Miller, the Indians have been riding their relievers to wins all postseason, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian noted in this tweet:

It’s tough to imagine either team scoring more than a few runs in this one, given the pitching prowess both clubs present. This game could be won on a late run, and Cleveland’s odds of getting the win look to be higher than Chicago’s, given the strength of its bullpen and its AL-best 53-28 regular-season home record. Expect a close Indians win in Game 1.

Prediction: Cleveland wins, 3-2

Statistics are courtesy of MLB.com unless noted otherwise.

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The two MLB teams with the longest droughts without winning a championship will square off in the 2016 World Series starting Tuesday in Cleveland.

The underdog Indians come into the World Series with a price of +170 (bet $100 to win $170) against the favored Chicago Cubs, who are -190 chalk (bet $190 to win $100) at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark to bring home their first MLB title since 1908.

The Game 1 pitching matchup pitting Cleveland’s Corey Kluber against Chicago’s Jon Lester opened as a pick’em and features two of the most dominant aces in the postseason this year.

Despite all the positive attention the bullpen for the Indians has gotten so far, Kluber has seemingly returned to his Cy Young Award-winning form from two years ago in these playoffs, allowing just two runs in 18.1 innings of work over three starts.

The hard-throwing righty has walked seven and struck out 20 after going 18-9 with a 3.14 ERA in 32 starts during the regular season.

Meanwhile, the Cubs have won all three of Lester’s starts this postseason, including two in the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers that both resulted in identical 8-4 scores to earn him NLCS co-MVP honors.

Lester has given up just two runs over 21 innings with two walks and 14 strikeouts following a rebound campaign in 2016 that saw him end up 19-5 with a 2.44 ERA after going 11-12 with a 3.34 ERA in 2015.

Cleveland has home-field advantage in the World Series by virtue of the American League beating the National League 4-2 in the All-Star Game at San Diego’s Petco Park on July 12.

However, no team has more road wins this year than the Cubs, who went 46-34 away from home in the regular season and have won three of five in the playoffs to date. And Chicago has a 69 percent chance of winning the World Series, according to PredictionMachine.com.

The teams split four meetings last year, with Lester and Kluber both walking away with no-decisions in the most recent game, won 2-1 by Chicago at Wrigley Field on a Kris Bryant walk-off home run. The Cubs have won six of the last eight head-to-head matchups dating back to 2006, according to the Odds Shark MLB database.

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The waiting will come to an end for the Chicago Cubs or the Cleveland Indians in the 2016 World Series. That much is a given.

Both teams have been able to achieve to a very high level to get to this point. With the perspective of time, the Cubs and Indians will both look at the 2016 season as a success. But in the short term, one team will end up thrilled and the other will end up disappointed at having come so close before losing the World Series.

The oddsmakers favor the Cubs to win their first World Series title since 1908. They are minus-190 favorites, according to Odds Shark, while the Indians are plus-170 underdogs.

Those odds will not matter a lick to the players on the field. The Cubs certainly had the more impressive regular season with 103 wins, but the Indians won the American League pennant by beating the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays.

The American League has long been considered the superior of the two major leagues, and that could leave the Indians in slightly better shape than many experts believe.

The World Series gets underway Tuesday night from Progressive Field in Cleveland, and the Indians will have the benefit of home-field advantage if the series goes seven games. Here’s a look at our key predictions for the way the World Series will play out:

1. The Cleveland Indians will jump out to a lead in the series. With their raucous fans helping out, the Indians will earn the victory in the Game 1 with Corey Kluber on the mound. 

Kluber is the Indians’ ace and he will get the best of Cubs starter Jon Lester. Kluber will dazzle the Cubs lineup by getting ahead in the count and putting the Cubs away with his devastating slider. 

Hope will spring eternal in Cleveland as the Tribe ride their stud and come away with the opening win.

2. The Cubs will show off their power in Game 2. This is a strong lineup that has its ups and downs in the postseason, but big hitters like Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell and Javier Baez will flex their muscles and show the Tribe that they are ready for prime time and will make this a series.

3. The World Series returns to the North Side of Chicago for the first time since 1945, and the city is in an absolutely electric mood. While the Chicago White Sox won the World Series in 2005 after their long drought, that was a non-event in comparison to what the city is feeling with the Cubs playing for the big prize.

It’s a huge party at Wrigley Field, and the mood grows even brighter as the Cubs build a four-run lead in the middle innings.

However, the Indians are a never-say-die kind of team, and they cut the deficit to two in the top of the ninth. Still, with Aroldis Chapman striding in from the bullpen, there is nothing but confidence emanating from the Chicago dugout.

Even though Chapman reached 103 mph on the radar gun, the Tribe rallies for four runs in the ninth, thanks in large part to a mammoth Mike Napoli home run. Cody Allen closes out the ninth and there is woe in Wrigleyville as the Tribe take a 2-1 lead.

4. Joe Maddon is under the gun because he could go with Jake Arrieta or Lester in Game 4, but he chooses to give John Lackey the ball. Lackey has a history of World Series success with the Anaheim Angels and the Boston Red Sox, and he wants the ball. He fairly well demands it, and Maddon has faith.

Lackey gives up a run in the first inning, but he shuts the Tribe down for eight innings. Maddon swallows hard and gives the ball back to Chapman for the ninth, and this time he strikes out the side on 12 pitches as the Cubs square the series.

5. It seems that Game 5 is a must-win game for the Cubs, because they don’t want to go back to Cleveland trailing 3-2 and being in a position where they are forced to win back-to-back road games.

Nevertheless, it is the Indians who come out prepared and they attack the baseball in the early innings. They get big hits from Francisco Lindor, Carlos Santana and Lonnie Chisenhall, and they build a four-run lead in the sixth inning.

Terry Francona gives the ball to Andrew Miller and he douses the Cubs bats before giving way to Allen. The Indians come away with a 6-3 victory and head home needing one win to clinch their first World Series title since 1948.

6. The Cubs are a bit bloodied, but they are not beaten. They go to Cleveland knowing they need just two wins in a row to become champions.

The Cubs get a lift from an unlikely source in Kyle Schwarber, who was activated from the disabled list before the start of the series. He has played sporadically to this point, but this time Maddon makes Schwarber his cleanup hitter.

The powerful left-handed hitter bashes two long home runs, and one swears they can see the resemblance to Babe Ruth as he rounds the bases. He certainly has the majestic stroke. The Cubs roll to a four-run win and square the World Series at 3.

7. The Cubs have a chance to go with Lester to close out the World Series, while the Indians are going to have to go with an array of pitchers since Kluber was on the mound for Game 5 in Chicago. He can give the Indians a couple of relief innings, but that’s it.

Francona works his bullpen masterfully, and the Tribe head to the ninth inning with a one-run lead. Baez legs out an infield hit to start the inning and steals second. After he’s bunted over to third base, he scores on an infield chopper by David Ross to tie the game. The Tribe can’t score in the ninth, and the seventh game goes to extra innings.

After two scoreless frames, Baez triples to right center and then pushes the envelope when he sees Jason Kipnis bobble the relay for a split second. His head-first slide allows him to score the go-ahead run. Maddon hands the ball to Kyle Hendricks—and not Chapman—for the fateful bottom of the inning.

The calm and cool Hendricks handles the assignment perfectly, and the Cubs break their long dry spell along with Cleveland’s hearts.

The Cubs become World Series champions, and Chicago throws a party that lasts until Thanksgiving!

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The 2016 World Series is set, and no matter who wins, it will be a celebration a long time in the making.

The Chicago Cubs are considered the team of destiny as they try to win their first championship since 1908. On the other hand, the Cleveland Indians haven’t won a title since 1948, and their fans will be just as excited about the possibility of a win.

Both teams will come out with a lot of energy to provide fans with the best possible matchup on the sport’s biggest stage. Here is what you need to know about the upcoming battle. 

Preview

When it comes to the Cubs, it’s hard not to talk about history. Not only has it been more than 100 years since the last World Series win, but the organization hadn’t even won the pennant since 1945.

After the Cubs clinched the National League Championship Series, that was just about all anyone could talk about.

“To stand on that platform afterwards,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, “and you’re looking at the ballpark and the fans and the ‘W’ flags everywhere. I think about the fans, and their parents, and their grandparents, and great-grandparents, and everything else that’s been going on here for a while.”

However, it’s important to remember that the current squad stands on its own as an elite team. The players aren’t necessarily carrying history with them; they won 103 games with a lot of talent in just about every part of the roster.

The starting pitching has been great all year, especially Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks. The duo has allowed just five earned runs in 37.1 innings this postseason, including just three runs total in four starts in the NLCS.

Jake Arrieta hasn’t been quite as dominant, but he is the reigning NL Cy Young winner and has good enough stuff to be a shutdown pitcher in the upcoming round.

Meanwhile, the lineup is even more dangerous, as so many different players can carry the offense on a given night. Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell, Javier Baez and others can get hot at any time, and they have shown it throughout the season and playoffs. If this team is clicking, there aren’t too many holes.

Of course, the Indians aren’t in this spot by luck, either.

The bullpen is the real story of the team’s success, featuring the lights-out combo of Andrew Miller and Cody Allen. While Allen is usually considered the “closer” on the team, the reality is that either pitcher can come in any inning and shut down any part of the lineup.

Manager Terry Francona has been creative in his use of the bullpen this postseason, and it has led to opponents having seemingly no chance of coming back late in games.

Although the starting rotation has been a mess because of a handful of injuries, the team still has Corey Kluber leading the way as one of the top pitchers in baseball. It’s tough to know what to expect from either Josh Tomlin or rookie Ryan Merritt, but you can’t count either out.

The real question mark is the lineup, which has loads of talent but struggled last series against the Toronto Blue Jays, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:

Cleveland is batting only .208 in the postseason, which is impressive for a team that has won two series already. With Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez and Jason Kipnis capable of racking up hits and Carlos Santana and Mike Napoli adding power, this unit can be quite dangerous if it gets going.

In any case, these two teams should create a memorable World Series that could go the distance.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.

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With the World Series set to begin on Tuesday, we’re less than two weeks away from the start of another action-packed MLB offseason.

This year’s crop of free agents is loaded with impact power bats and high-octane relievers but is historically lacking in starting pitching options.

As a result, it could be a busy winter on the trade market, with contenders forced to wheel and deal in an effort to upgrade their rotations and non-contenders looking to sell high on their controllable arms.

At any rate, expect the usual inundation of trade rumors and speculation once the 2016 season officially wraps up and a new champ is crowned.

With that in mind, it’s never too early to start doing some speculating of our own, so here’s a look at five potential blockbuster deals that could come to pass this offseason.

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