MLB Game Preview - LA Dodgers at Chicago

Thu Apr 13, 2017 2:20 PM EDT

CHICAGO -- Brett Anderson will get a very different look at the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday.

The Chicago Cubs left-hander, who started 34 games for the Dodgers in 2015-16, takes the mound against his former team in the finale of a three-game series at Wrigley Field.

But Anderson (0-0, 1.59 ERA) won't necessarily rely on past knowledge as he pitches against Los Angeles for the first time.

"He'll know something from the past, but I'm certain that it's more pertinent to go with what's being told to him based on actual information," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "I don't necessarily buy the idea that he's been there before so all of a sudden he's got an advantage. Nor do they.

"If he executes his pitches, he's going to have a good night. If he doesn't, they are."

Anderson had no decision after allowing one run on five hits while walking one and striking out four over 5 2/3 innings last Friday night in his Cubs debut at Milwaukee.

The Dodgers (5-4) counter with left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu (0-1, 3.86 ERA), who appears to be healthy after making just one start since 2014.

The Cubs (5-3) seek to wrap up the Dodgers series with a win after Los Angeles claimed a 2-0 victory on Wednesday.

Anderson went 10-9 with a 3.69 ERA in 2015. He was sidelined much of 2016 with a bad back, working four games between Aug. 14 and Sept. 29. Anderson went 1-2 with an 11.91 ERA over 11 1/3 innings pitched.

Other injuries over his career have included a strained right oblique, stress fracture in his right foot and a broken left index finger. The Cubs signed Anderson, a free agent, in January.

"Any time you make your first start of year, with a new team and a team coming off a World Series, you kind of want to show why you're here and why you belong," Anderson said after his start against Milwaukee.

Ryu, 30, is in his fifth Dodgers season and is coming off a single-start season in 2016. He missed all of 2015 and the beginning of 2016 following shoulder surgery before making his lone start on July 7, giving up six runs on eight hits over 4 2/3 innings in a 6-0 Los Angeles loss.

He went on the disabled list following that start with elbow inflammation and did not pitch again the rest of the season.

Ryu was 14-7 with a 3.38 ERA in 2014 -- his last full season. He was 14-8 with a 3.00 ERA in his 2013 rookie season and finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting.

The Cubs' pitchers are getting settled into the new bullpen, shifted in the offseason from the left field foul line to a quiet room under the left field bleachers.

"When the doors were closed, you felt like you're in an offseason training facility throwing a bullpen," Cubs left-hander Jon Lester said this week. "It will take a little bit of time. We're used to the other way. It really did help once we opened the doors and (felt) the vibe from the outside."

While fans can no longer view or interact with pitchers, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said he gets a good look at what's happening.

"We really have sharp (television) monitors in the dugouts," Maddon said. "The picture is high-(definition), great quality. So you get to see the boys actually better."