NLCS schedule 2016: Dodgers vs. Cubs

LOS ANGELES — With their win over the Nationals in Game 5 of the National League Division Series on Thursday in Washington D.C., the Dodgers have won their first playoff series in three years and have advanced to play the Cubs in the 2016 National League Championship Series, which begins on Saturday night at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Both Game 1 and Game 2 will start at 5:08 p.m. PT, and will be televised by Fox Sports 1. The first home game for the Dodgers is Game 3 on Tuesday, Oct. 18, with all potential games at Dodger Stadium also at 5:08 p.m.

The start times for Games 6 and 7 will be revealed at a later date.

The entire NLCS will be televised by either Fox or Fox Sports 1, but no matter the channel the broadcast crew remains the same for each game. Joe Buck will be on play-by-play alongside analyst John Smoltz, with reporter Ken Rosenthal also on the broadcast.

The Cubs were a juggernaut in 2016, a 103-win behemoth that dispatched the Giants in four games in the NLDS. They are in the NLCS for a second straight season, looking to wash away the taste of last year’s sweep by the Mets.

This marks the Dodgers’ fourth trip to the NLCS in the last nine years, having lost in 2008 and 2009 to the Phillies and in 2013 to the Cardinals.

The Dodgers lost four of their seven games to the Cubs in the regular season in 2016, winning two of three games at Dodger Stadium from Aug. 26-28. The Cubs won three of four at Wrigley Field from May 30 to June 2.

This is the second-ever playoff meeting between the Dodgers and Cubs, along with the 2008 NLDS, swept by LA.

The NLCS winner moves on to face the winner of the ALCS between the Indians and Blue Jays, with the American League owning home field advantage in the World Series. The Fall Classic will start on Tuesday, Oct. 25.

2016 NLCS schedule

All times PT

Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 15: Dodgers at Cubs, 5:08 p.m. (FS1)
Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 16: Dodgers at Cubs, 5:08 p.m. (FS1)
Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 18: Cubs at Dodgers, 5:08 p.m. (FS1)
Game 4: Wednesday, Oct. 19: Cubs at Dodgers, 5:08 p.m. (FS1)
Game 5*: Thursday, Oct. 20: Cubs at Dodgers, 5:08 p.m. (FS1)
Game 6*: Saturday, Oct. 22: Dodgers at Cubs, TBD (Fox or FS1)
Game 7*: Sunday, Oct. 23: Dodgers at Cubs, TBD (Fox or FS1)
*if neccesary