Cubs fans can thank Jake Arrieta and a trio of dingers for keeping their team in the playoffs. Whether they can wrestle another win or three away from the Dodgers before the series is out (probably not) is yet to be seen, but they avoided the ignominy of being swept and will have another game at Wrigley Field on Thursday.
Cubs avoid NLCS elimination with Game 4 win over Dodgers
All of the runs came from homers, so it was a fun night.
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Arrieta, who may have had his last start as a member of the Cubs in this game, put together a more than solid performance with 6 2⁄3 innings pitched, three hits and one run allowed, with five walks and nine strikeouts. After he exited the game, he came out for a well-earned current call in front of the Wrigley faithful.
Every run in Game 4 was thanks to a home run. Starting with Willson Contreras (who absolutely rocked his and hit the left field scoreboard) and Javier Baez in the first inning to make things 2-0 nothing Cubs, things continued with Cody Bellinger getting the Dodgers back within one run in the second.
Following that, Javey homered for the second time in the fifth for 3-1, and then the Dodgers’ frequent savior Justin Turner jacked one in the eighth against Wade Davis to get the Dodgers close again at 3-2.
Outside of the three home runs he allowed, Alex Woods’ outing wasn’t as bad as it could have been for LA. He went 4 2⁄3 innings, allowing only four hits (unfortunate that three of those were dingers) and struck out seven with zero walks. If the Cubs’ bats weren’t so hot in the early innings, that type of performance would have been exactly what the Dodgers were looking for.
In the eighth, the Dodgers almost rallied after Justin Turner’s call-to-action home run. With Yasiel Puig on first, the struggling Curtis Granderson stepped to the plate and struck out on a dropped third strike. Grandy and Dave Roberts insisted it was a foul tip though and argued it.
Even though that type of call isn’t reviewable, Roberts convinced the umpires to at least convene, which is when they....reversed the call? Most people at home could see that it didn’t look like a foul tip, but they let Granderson take another hack anyway where he promptly struck out for the second time in one at bat. Not before Joe Maddon got ejected complaining about the reversal, though.
In the top of the ninth, the Dodgers put a man on base but had their hopes cut short when Cody Bellinger grounded into a double play. So they’ll get back out on the field at Wrigley on Thursday and try to clinch a World Series berth once again.
And the Cubs get to leave the NLCS with at least one win.
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