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The Cubs slugged their way back to home-field advantage in Game 4
Thursday’s Say Hey, Baseball includes the Cubs tying up the NLCS and the Indians advancing to the World Series.
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
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The Cubs were in a tough —but not impossible — predicament entering Wednesday night’s game against the Dodgers. They were down 2-1, had lost home-field advantage in the process, and had been shutout in consecutive games. It turns out that all of those were temporary issues, as Chicago scored 10 runs in Game 4 to tie the series up, get home field back, and reminded the baseball world that their offense hadn’t gone anywhere: It’s just that Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill are really, really good.
The Dodgers might have forgotten that last bit, too, as it’ll be Kenta Maeda starting Game 5 in Los Angeles on Thursday. Kershaw would be set up to pitch on short rest for Game 5 if the Dodgers chose to go that route, and that in turn would mean he would be available in relief for a Game 7, just as he was for Game 5 of the NLDS. And, on a grander scale, maybe available in a way that more closely resembles Madison Bumgarner in 2014, when he threw five innings of relief against the Royals to clinch the World Series in Game 7. That’s asking a lot, considering Bumgarner’s performances is one of the greatest in Fall Classic history, but the Dodgers won’t even be giving themselves that chance. Maeda will pitch Thursday, Kershaw will pitch Saturday, and it’ll have to be Rich Hill and the bullpen working together in Game 7, if the series gets that far.
The importance of Game 5 cannot be stressed enough for Los Angeles: The Cubs have home field once more in what is basically a best-of-three series. Chicago had the most home wins in baseball this season — Los Angeles also thrived at home, but on the road they were under .500, and they weren’t playing the Cubs in all of those games. In the same way that Game 2 was one the Dodgers basically had to win to have a real chance, Game 5 could determine the entire series. No one will be eliminated on Thursday, hence the “could” in that statement, but the difference between two chances to clinch and just trying to force another game is massive, even with Kershaw the Game 6 starter regardless of scenario.
- The Indians won Game 5 of the ALCS, clinching their first World Series berth since 1997.
- Cleveland earned their trip to the World Series thanks to prospects — ones they developed, ones they traded, and even ones who didn’t work out.
- The Indians also let out all of their frustration with the Blue Jays complaining and boasting once the series was over, roasting Jose Bautista and Drake as they celebrated.
- It’s not how anyone would have expected the Blue Jays to go out before the season began, but good pitching with no hitting to back it up doomed Toronto once again.
- With the Indians advancing, now’s a good time to consider what the next step in the rebuild process of their southern Ohio cousins is.
- Christopher Crawford wonders if change is coming to the MLB bullpen with the way relievers have been used this postseason.
- Michael Baumann considers the idea that, instead of short rest, the Dodgers should try to use Clayton Kershaw in relief more often during the postseason to better maximize his abilities.
- 10 years ago last night, the Cardinals dropped a hammer on Carlos Beltran and the Mets.
- This isn’t a link to a story, but you should look all the same: Andrew Miller won the ALCS MVP, and he’s thrown 11-1/3 innings this postseason without allowing a run, thanks to 21 strikeouts, two walks, and just five hits allowed. He now has 20 scoreless innings in the playoffs in his career.
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