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CHICAGO -- About the time Travis Wood was dousing Chicago Cubs general manager Theo Epstein with champagne Tuesday night, Epstein was explaining the prevailing theory of roster construction.You build it for 162 (games) and you watch it play out, Epstein said.You build it for the postseason and you pray.So far, so good for the favored Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers, who advanced to meet in the National League Championship Series after difficult NLDS challenges from San Francisco and Washington, respectively. The first two games of the best-of-seven series are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday night at Wrigley Field.The Cubs beat the Giants in four games with a four-run rally in the top of the ninth inning Tuesday, only the second time in playoff history a team had scored four runs in the ninth inning to win a postseason clincher. The Mets did it to the Boston Red Sox in 1986.When you go through these moments, I think they make you better, and it makes you continue to focus, said Cubs catcher David Ross, who homered and hit a sacrifice fly in Game 4. Weve been through a lot of these with comebacks in the ninth. You just continue to grind. It just says a lot about the character of these guys in the young group. They continue to fight.The Cubs, who won a major league-high 103 games in the regular season and have been favored to win the World Series since the playoffs began, have won 10 games this season when they trailed entering the ninth, including Tuesdays game.Not that the Dodgers are fazed by being labeled underdogs.For us, its just a lot of noise, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. I think it comes down to 25 players against one another. It really doesnt matter to us, to (be) quite honest.The Dodgers advanced to the NLCS just as unconventionally, with a 4-3 victory at Washington in Game 5 on Thursday. Trailing 1-0 entering the seventh inning, the Dodgers scored four runs in that inning to go ahead, then held on by using closer Kenley Jansen to get seven outs and set up three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw, who got the final two outs with the tying run on base.Jansen threw 51 pitches, but Roberts would not rule them out for use this weekend.Cubs left-hander Jon Lester, a top Cy Young candidate, opposes Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda in Game 1. Lester gave up five hits and no walks in eight shutout innings of a 1-0 victory over the Giants in the first game of the NLDS last Friday.Maeda gave up four runs in three innings of the Dodgers Game 3 loss on Sunday and will be pitching on regular rest.The Cubs and Dodgers were eliminated by the NL champion Mets last season. New York beat the Dodgers in five games in the NLDS and then swept the Cubs in four games in the NLCS.The Cubs may need to improve their hitting in order to advance to their first World Series since 1945, although batting averages are normally down in the playoffs because of the quality of pitching.Kris Bryant and Javier Baez had six hits apiece in the Giants series, and Wilson Contreras was 4-for-6. All were major players in the Game 4 rally -- Bryant singled to open the ninth. Ben Zobrist doubled in one run, Contreras singled in two to tie the game, and Baez drove in the game-winner before Aroldis Chapman recorded his third save of the series.Pitchers have driven in six of the Cubs 17 runs this postseason -- three coming on starter Jake Arrietas three-run homer in Game 3. Dexter Fowler has two hits while Jason Heyward, Anthony Rizzo and Addison Russell all have one through four games.Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner was 6-for-15 in the NLDS, and his double drove in the final run Thursday. Joc Pederson, whose homer off Max Scherzer began the Dodgers four-run rally, was 5-for-15. Shortstop Corey Seager, the certain NL Rookie of the Year, was 3-for-23, although two of his hits were homers.Carl Crawford Dodgers Jersey . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. Frank Howard Dodgers Jersey . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. https://www.cheapdodgersonline.com/2125h-eric-gagne-jersey-dodgers.html . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. Alex Verdugo Jersey . After Martin Skrtel put the Reds in front from close range at Stamford Bridge after only four minutes, Hazard hit back in the 17th with a superb strike. Etoo gave Jose Mourinhos team a decisive lead from Oscars back pass in the 34th. Raul Mondesi Dodgers Jersey . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov.The Washington Capitals held their season-ending media availability at the teams practice facility on Thursday, less than 48 hours after being eliminated by the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. And no one could have been more honest about their season than forward Brooks Laich. "These days suck," he told reporters. "Theres no way to polish a turd." The Rangers beat the Capitals 5-0 in the seventh and deciding game of their series on Monday night, eliminating Washington for the second year in a row. Mondays early exit was the sixth career postseason defeat for Hart Memorial Trophy finalist Alex Ovechkin, who voiced his frustration to Slava Malamud of the Russian newspaper Sport-Express following the loss. "I am not saying there was a phone call from (the league), but someone just wanted Game 7," he told the paper on Monday. "For the ratings. You know, the lockout, escrow, the league needs to make profit. I dont know whether the refs were predisposed against us or the league. But to not give obvious penalties (against the Capitals), while for us any little thing was immediately penalized." Capitals general manager George McPhee said he "didnt like the refereeing" in his teams first-round playoff series and said the way calls went "sure didnt feel right." Meanwhile, Rangers head coach John Tortorella felt the Capitals may not have been in the best mindset for the series. &quuot;Weve got everybody and their brother whining out there in Washington about what happened in that series and I think thats a big reason they lost that series," said Tortorella.dddddddddddd Ovechkin added that the team should also make re-signing Mike Ribeiro a priority, words that flattered the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. "To hear it from him is nice," said Ribeiro. "Hes a powerful player. He can score. Hes a young player who can still learn a lot about the game, and how to play it." Ovechkin was held scoreless for the final five games of the first round series and was held to a single shot on goal in Game 7. He had just one goal and one assist in the series. He led the NHL in power-play goals during the regular season (16), shots on goal (220) and tied teammate Ribeiro for the league lead in power-play scoring (27 points). First-year head coach Adam Oates spoke of Ovechkins comments and said that it showed the kind of person his star player is. "He does take it very hard. Thats a great sign of character," said Oates. "He texted me 20 times until 2am after Game 7. He was very upset." Forward Nick Backstrom didnt mince words about the teams first round exit from the playoffs. "It sucks," he said flatly. "I dont like standing in front of you guys telling you about losing because obviously it sucks. We played better than them. They had a good goalie...hockeys not always fair." ' ' '