First pitch: Sunday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: N/A, Total: N/A

Both the Cubs and Red Sox will be hoping to finish this series off with a win on national television on Sunday night.

The Cubs and Red Sox will be finishing off a three-game set on Sunday night, and both teams can really use a win in this one. The starters for this ESPN matchup are set to be RHP Kyle Hendricks (2-1, 4.50 ERA, 16 K) for Chicago and LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (1-1, 3.12 ERA, 22 K) for Boston. Hendricks is off to a bit of a slow start this season, which is surprising after he led the league in ERA in 2016 (2.13 ERA). Rodriguez, meanwhile, has come out firing, which is a major positive for a Boston team that has been rather mediocre out the gate. Rodriguez is one of the team’s prized young players, but he has struggled with inconsistency in his first three years in the majors. The Red Sox are dealing with some injuries coming into this contest, though. Boston has both 3B Pablo Sandoval (Knee) and OF Brock Holt (Vertigo) on the10-day DL, and the team is also waiting on the return of both LHP David Price (Elbow) and RHP Tyler Thornburg (Undisclosed).

Kyle Hendricks is not off to the best start this season, but he is coming off of a terrific outing against the Pirates. Hendricks pitched six innings of shutout ball in a 1-0 win over the Pirates in his last start, striking out three batters in that one. If Hendricks can put forth another good start on Sunday then he might just be back to the guy he was last year. He is, however, struggling to throw with the same velocity that he did last year, and that is a major red flag entering May. Offensively, the Cubs have a number of weapons that should be able to get to Rodriguez in this one. The guys to watch out for in this game are, however, 3B Kris Bryant and SS Addison Russell. While Chicago has a ton of excellent hitters, these are the most dangerous right-handed batters in the lineup. That will be important on Sunday, as Chicago is going up against a lefty. It’s crucial that both guys produce in this one.

The Red Sox are hoping to get back on track soon and they’ll send Eduardo Rodriguez to the mound to earn a big win over the Cubs on Sunday night. Rodriguez issued five walks in an Apr. 23 start against Baltimore, but he didn’t allow a single run in six innings of work in that game. He struck out seven batters and constantly worked his way out of jams. While he looked pretty good in that one, the walks are a major concern. He has walked three or more batters in all three games where he has pitched at least five innings this season. He’ll need his control to be better against Chicago or the defending champs will make him pay. Offensively, the Sox will need stars like OF Mookie Betts and 1B Hanley Ramirez to show up here. On the big stage of national television, both guys will need to find a way to produce.