The latest on the League Championship Series. The Mets and Cubs play Game 2 of the NLCS in New York with the first pitch set for 8:07 p.m. The Royals and Blue Jays play Game 3 of the ALCS in Toronto on Monday night. Here’s a look at what’s happening (all times EDT):
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7:20 p.m.
There’s a band-aid on the bruised home run apple at Citi Field.
The 16-foot-tall by 18-foot diameter, 4,800-pound apple behind the center-field fence had two large, white strips in the shape of an X on top of it Sunday night, a day after the faux fruit was struck by Travis d’Arnaud’s 431-foot homer during the New York Mets’ 4-2 win over the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the NLCS.
The giant, red apple, which rises after home runs, is much larger than the old Shea Stadium version, which was 9 feet high and weighed 582 pounds. The old apple is now stationed near the home plate entrance of the new ballpark.
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6:50 p.m.
Kyle Hendricks is scheduled to start for the Chicago Cubs in Game 3 of the NLCS against the New York Mets when the series shifts to Wrigley Field on Tuesday night.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon also says Jason Hammel will “more than likely” pitch Game 4 — depending on whether he’s used out of the bullpen before that.
“I’m still going to talk to him about it. If we need to use him between now and then, you still may see him utilized, but we might have to do something differently,” Maddon said. “If we don’t have to use Jason, it will be him.”
Hendricks was 8-7 with a 3.95 ERA this season. He made his postseason debut in Game 2 of the NLDS at St. Louis, yielding three solo homers in 4 2-3 innings of Chicago’s 6-3 victory. The right-hander struck out seven, walked none and knocked in a run with a safety squeeze.
Hendricks beat the Mets 1-0 at Citi Field on June 30 and has won both career starts against them, allowing one run in 13 innings.
Hammel started Game 4 at home against the Cardinals and was pulled after three-plus innings. The right-hander went 10-7 with a 3.74 ERA this season.
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6:30 p.m.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon is starting Chris Coghlan in right field during Game 2 of the NLCS, hoping he can provide another big swing against Mets rookie starter Noah Syndergaard.
Coghlan hit a two-run homer off the hard-throwing Syndergaard when the New York pitcher made his major league debut on May 12 at Wrigley Field.
“A little bit of that,” Maddon said. “I just need to keep him solvent. I need to keep him out there a little bit.”
Syndergaard lost his debut 6-1 to Jake Arrieta, the Chicago starter Sunday night at Citi Field.
With a right-hander on the mound for the Mets, the lefty-swinging Coghlan replaces right-handed-hitting Jorge Soler in right field. Soler went 1 for 4 with an infield single and two strikeouts during Chicago’s 4-2 loss in Game 1. Coghlan flied out as a pinch hitter.
“Jorge will be back out there,” Maddon said. “But you ask these guys to pinch-hit or come off the bench or play, and if you don’t give them an opportunity to play, why would I expect a good result when you ask him to come off the bench?”
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5:00 p.m.
Royals manager Ned Yost has chosen Chris Young over Kris Medlen as his starter for Game 4 of the ALCS.
Young has only made two starts since July 28, but they were good ones. He allowed one run in 11 1-3 innings over those two outings, with his final start coming Oct. 2.
“He’s got really good numbers against these guys,” Yost said. “They’re both great choices, but, you know, Chris Young, his last two starts of the year were really, really good for us. We feel like he gives us a good chance to win.”
The 6-foot-10 third round draft pick out of Princeton in 2000 appeared as a reliever in Game 1 of the ALDS, giving up a run in four innings. Overall, he was 11-6 in 34 appearances — 18 starts — this year.
Young faced the Blue Jays once this year, on July 11, a 7-5 loss. Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run shot and Young yielded five hits and three runs over six innings. But over his 11-year career, Young has held members of the Blue Jays to a .229 average (22 for 96) with two homers.
Medlen was 6-2 with a 4.01 ERA in 15 appearances — eight starts this year. He returned from Tommy John surgery on July 20 and hasn’t pitched since Oct. 1.
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4:35 p.m.
Matt Harvey appears to be set to start for the Mets in Chicago on Thursday if the series reaches a Game 5.
Harvey joked after Saturday night’s opening 4-2 win that Dexter Fowler’s line drive “kind of dented my arm a little bit, got me right in the triceps.”
Mets manager Terry Collins said “there were some stitches on Harv’s arm last night, so he’ll be sore today” but also said Harvey did not arrive early at Citi Field on Sunday for treatment.
Harvey allowed two runs and four hits in 7 2/3 innings, struck out nine and walked two. He threw 97 pitches.
“We’ll see how he is with the bruise and how it’s going to affect him,” Collins said. “If you’re going to come back on four days’ rest, keeping his pitch count where it was, I think it will be fine for him.”
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3:35 p.m.
The Blue Jays just took the field for their off-day workout after returning home from Kansas City down 2-0. After blowing a late lead in a tough 6-3 loss in Game 2, the team knows the challenge ahead: All but three of the previous 25 teams to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven era have won the series.
Toronto trailed 2-0 in the best-of-five ALDS and rallied to beat Texas.
“I’m not going to say it’s a position we’re comfortable being in, but we’ve been there and we’re going to try to go out and win games,” center fielder Kevin Pillar said. “That’s what we do.”
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3:15 p.m.
The Yankees may be gone from the postseason, but Alex Rodriguez is sticking around.
Fox said Sunday it has hired A-Rod as a guest analyst for the remainder of the ALCS and the World Series. He is to start Monday, joining pregame and postgame shows that include Pete Rose, Frank Thomas and Raul Ibanez.
Rodriguez returned to the majors this year after serving a season-long suspension for violations of baseball’s drug agreement and labor contract.
He hit .250 with 33 homers and 86 RBIs, raising his home runs total to 687, behind only Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714).
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