MLB: NLCS, Game 4: The quest for the last straw

The Chicago Cubs, the 2016 World Series champion, is on the brink of a playoff.Game 4 of the National League Championship Series could be the last in the series.With their backs to the wall, the Cubbies have to grab the last straw and extend the NLCS.SPOX broadcasts game 4 of the NLCS on Thursday from 3 a. m. at the LIVESTREAM FOR FREE.

Has the magic of 2016 completely vanished?The Chicago Cubs are about to collect a sweep from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.While last October it seemed as if the Cubs could not stop anything and nobody, these days it seems as if the tight decisions were all against them.

The bull pen management of manager Joe Maddon seems to be a symbol of this.Although he did not necessarily make the right decision in the previous year, it never became his fatality.Not even in his controversial idea of changing Aroldis Chapman into Game 6 of the World Series at a score of 7:2 for his Cubs in the seventh inning.

The result was a completely reworked Closer, who one evening later in Match 7 gave up a shocking homerun for the interim equalization.The Cubs, however, kept their cool and brought the game and the World Series to a successful conclusion.

“Personally, I don’t agree with the way he used me,”Chapman said about Maddon last winter.The left-handed man clarified his statement:”I think there were a few situations where I shouldn’t have been used, but he still used me.”

Maddon said that the only reality I know of is that we have won,”Maddon also said that many discussions of this kind are dependent on the outcome of events and that” people “expect that if you had done something differently, it would have been better in the end.But better than winning?I don’t know what that is.”

Better maybe not, but possibly worse!Because in this postseason Maddon did quite a lot of things that, unlike 2016, were punished this October.The most recent and most serious example is undoubtedly the substitution of John Lackey for NLCS game 2.

The game was even in the ninth inning, the Dodgers had the winning run on base and then Maddon Lackey, the starter who hadn’t been able to get into the rotation in the postseason.Lackey distributed another walk and then handed in Justin Turner’s Walk-Off-Three-Run-Homer.

The big question, however, remained: Why did Maddon choose his most inconsistent starter instead of Closer Wade Davis in this match, which may have already been decisive?Maddon’s explanation that he only needed Davis with a lead is a slap in the face for the current trend to use his best pitcher early on if necessary – for those who have praised Maddon for years as a genius and manager of the latest generation, it is a kind of reality check.The visionary tries it with almost dusty onboard equipment.And loses.

The Bullpen problem, including the apparent overload of Carl Edwards Jr.The right-hander, who played in seven of Cubs’ eight playoff games, is by no means the only reason for the current sporting crisis on the North Side of Chicago.There is the much greater problem of the lack of offensive!

The heart of the lineup, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, has been completely deregistered.Bryant had three hits in the three games against Los Angeles – all singles.Rizzo, on the other hand, is 1-10 with five strikes, not much of the Cubbies, because the run ratio of the series is 15:4 in favor of the Dodgers.

Addison Russell and Kyle Schwarber beat the only homeruns of the Cubs, otherwise the pitching of the Dodgers had everything under control.There’s not much that could encourage the Cubs.

In this respect, it is time to turn to superstition.Last year the Cubs beat the Dodgers in the NLCS after six games, this time it would have to be seven, but this is also possible.In the World Series, after a 1-3 deficit, they came back.And: Team president Theo Epstein was responsible for the Boston Red Sox team, who historically shot a 0-3 in the ALCS against the New York Yankees in 2004.So he’d know how to do it.

If you’re into hard facts, you might want to look at the perspective that starter Jake Arrieta will be standing on the Mound.He lost his only appearance this year, but only allowed one unearned run against the Washington Nationals in four innings.He is also experienced enough to cope with the situation.

The fact that the game takes place in Wrigley Field helps, as the right-handers at home allowed an average run less per game than abroad.However, the question arises whether to maximize Arrieta’s performance it might be better to use backup catcher Alex Avila, because with Starter Willson Contreras Arrieta allowed for more than one run on average than with Avila.

On the other hand, Alex Wood, a dangerous left-hander, is waiting for his best season in the MLB.And yet Wood could turn out to be a disadvantage for the Dodgers: After all, he’s on the verge of his first playoff at all – he’s only had a few relief bets so far, including two for the Atlanta Braves and against the Dodgers in 2013.

All in all, no one knows how Wood will react to this new situation.Especially since it will be psychologically interesting to see how he gets along with the fact that he can close the series, but a failure would not be a broken leg.However, this applies to the entire team.

An even bigger problem could be the lack of rhythm that the lefty has to deal with.Since the Dodgers have won all seven playoff games so far this year – a new record series for the franchise in the postseason – Wood simply hadn’t been used yet.He finished his last game on 26.September against San Diego (6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER), more than three weeks ago!

Pitcher are more than any other position group creatures of habit, so a long pause can’t be an advantage.No simulated games or bullpen sessions will help, because the adrenaline and the tension of a playoff game can hardly be adjusted during training.

All of this, however, only becomes a factor when the Cubs get their offensive underway, otherwise everything else is a waste.In addition, the Dodger’s offense, which gets so much out of their role-players, wants to be stopped.Maybe this time too, late from a Davis outside of a save situation?

Basically, however, the scenario that has now been given may even be an advantage for Maddon and the Cubs.They stand with their backs to the wall, have nothing left to lose and can act freely away from the liver.You can – and should – play as if there were no tomorrow.Because in the event of a defeat, that’s what happens.Do or die!

This article was published without prior view by the Major League Baseball.