The Cubs and Giants square off in Game 4 of the National League Division Series on Tuesday night (7:40pm CDT). The Cubs have a two games to one lead in the best-of-five series.
The Cubs were not able to put the Giants away Monday and lost Game 3 of the NLDS in 13 innings.
The Cubs had a 3-2 lead late in the game but after a stunning eighth inning, Joe Maddon’s team found themselves in a hole. Kris Bryant tied it at five in the ninth with a two-run homer. The offense allowed the Giants’ pen to look really good for four innings. And they lost in 13 innings in another game with the Giants that was decided by one run.
John Lackey gets the ball on Tuesday night in Game 4 and will take on lefty Matt Moore. The Cubs offense must step up and put the Giants away this time and not allow the series to go to a Game 5.
Aroldis Chapman
Aroldis Chapman did not do his job Monday night in Game 3. At the same time, Joe Maddon did not put Chapman in a position to succeed.
Maddon should have had Chapman start the eighth, not come in with men on base. The eighth inning was the right time to use Chapman with the heart of the Giants’ order due up. But Chapman has proven he struggles when he enters a game with men on base.
According to ESPN Chicago, Maddon even talked about Chapman’s issues Sunday.
“Maddon just spoke yesterday of reluctance to bring in Chapman/closers with men on. Chapman allows 33 percent of inherited runners to score in career.”
Maddon knew it, yet he ignored it, and admitted after the game he was “reluctant to ask for six outs from Chapman but he felt he needed to do it.”
Monday was the first time in Chapman’s career he has allowed back-to-back hits to left-handed hitters.
Aroldis Chapman, like the Cubs entire roster, must be put in a position to succeed. Not in a situation in which he is not comfortable. Maddon talked about playing the NLDS like regular season games. Maddon should have learned after the trade with the Yankees that Chapman does not have the same impact when entering games with runners on base.
- Report from The Tribune
- Report from Comcast SportsNet
- FanGraphs: Aroldis Chapman, Without His Command
Kyle Hendricks
Kyle Hendricks appears to have dodged a major injury.
According to a report from Mark Gonzales, Hendricks “showed full range of motion in his right forearm” on Monday a day after Joe Maddon said he was sore from being hit with a line drive in the fourth inning of Game 2.
Hendricks said Saturday night he did not think he would miss any time and would be ready to make his next start.
Hendricks told the Tribune he will throw his side session Tuesday.
Three Catchers
The Cubs became just the fifth team in the history of the game to use three different catchers to start the first three games of a postseason series.
David Ross caught Jon Lester in Game 1. Willson Contreras was behind the plate in Game 2 for Kyle Hendricks. And Miguel Montero was Jake Arrieta’s catcher in Game 3.
The Cubs joined the 2002 Diamondbacks, 1998 Padres, 1927 Yankees and the 1915 Red Sox as the only five teams to use three different starting catchers.
All three of the Cubs catchers played in Game 3, but that wasn’t a first for the Cubs.
Joe Girardi, Rick Wrona and Lloyd McClendon were used by Don Zimmer in Game 4 of the ’89 NLCS.
NLDS News and Notes
Here are the news and notes from Game 3 of the NLDS …
• Game 3 was the longest postseason game, in terms of innings, in Cubs history.
• Comcast SportsNet reported Giants outlasted the Cubs in insane 13-inning game. Cubs fail to complete sweep, blowing three-run lead in 13-inning loss to the Giants according to the Tribune. And the Sun-Times reported the Cubs fall to the Giants in wild 13-inning affair.
• The Tribune – The car bomb, the catch and a night to remember
• ESPN Chicago reported the Giants’ Gillaspie beats Cubs closer’s heat to help force a Game 4. The Cubs can’t kick themselves over late Game 3 loss according to ESPN Chicago.
• David Haugh asked if panic will set in on the North Side after Giants stay alive in 13-inning victory over the Cubs.
• Ken Rosenthal reported the Giants showed they still have some even-year magic. And Jeff Passan reported the never-say-die Giants stretched their amazing elimination-game win streak to 10.
• The Cubs have made baseball fun again according to Comcast SportsNet.
• Game 3 posted an 18.4 Chicago market rating according to Jeff Nuich, over 457,000 homes (13.2) were still tuned in at 1:45am CDT.
American League Championship Series
The American League Championship Series is set. The Indians completed the sweep of the Red Sox and will square off against the Blue Jays with the winner hosting Game 1 of the World Series two weeks from today.
News and Notes
• Historic defense a game-changer for Cubs in the postseason according to Comcast SportsNet.
• Javier Baez is establishing himself as Cubs’ next big star according to Bob Nightengale. Baez is playing the game in memory of his loving sister.
• The Tribune reported Jason Heyward returned to the scene of his spectacular catch, injury.
• Comcast SportsNet explained why the Cubs benched Jason Heyward instead of starting him against Madison Bumgarner and how Joe Maddon sees more offensive potential in $184 million outfielder. ESPN Chicago reported on Jason Heyward sitting as Cubs starting Jorge Soler in Game 3.
• According to ESPN Chicago, John Lackey said Monday that David Ross takes care of the position players, like Javier Baez, when something has to be said to them. Lackey talks to the pitchers.
• Cubs postseason strikeout leaders: Kerry Wood (38), Mordecai ‘Three-Finger’ Brown (35), Orval Overall (35), Jake Arrieta (33), Carlos Zambrano (27)
• The San Francisco Chronicle reported old foe John Lackey is set to try to knock out Giants again.
• Stephen Strasburg threw a bullpen session Monday at Dodger Stadium. According to Jon Paul Morosi, the Nationals are hoping he will be an option for Game 4 of the NLCS. The Nationals lead the best-of-five series 2-1 over the Dodgers.
• The D-Backs have current Nationals GM Mike Rizzo at the top of their list to be the team’s next President of Baseball Operations according to Jim Bowden. Rizzo has two years left on his contract with the Nationals.
• Rafael Lopez was one of five players the Reds outrighted to Triple-A on Monday.
• The Braves made it official and named Brian Snitker the team’s manager. Chuck Hernandez was hired as pitching coach and Ron Washington as third base coach.
• Daniel Stern reprised his role as ‘Rookie of the Year’ pitching coach to cheer on Cubs in playoff run.
This just in … Curses and magic do not exist in baseball. Period. The same way the Cubs are not cursed is the same way the Giants have zero magic in even years. The Giants are an extremely well-built organization. The Cubs were not for over 70 years. Time to move on from both lazy narratives.
This Day in Cubstory
2014 – Cubs officially broke ground on The 1060 Project, the Restoration and Expansion of Wrigley Field
2013 – Cubs granted free agency to Thomas Neal
1994 – Pirates selected Mark Parent off waivers from the Cubs
1984 – Max Ramirez, born
1951 – Cubs traded Jack Cusick to the Braves for Bob Addis
1948 – Phillies purchased Russ Meyer from the Cubs for $20,000
1929 – Cubs beat the Athletics 3-1 in game three of the World Series at Shibe Park. Guy Bush outpitched George Earnshaw for the Cubs only win in the series. The Cubs victory over the A’s was the first win for a NL team over an AL team in the World Series since 1926.
1911 – Frank Schulte was named the first National League MVP. Schulte and Ty Cobb received cars for being the first ever league most valuable players. The MVP award was known as the Chalmers Award and was sponsored by Chalmers Automotive, a Detroit based company.
1908 – Joe Tinker hit the first Cubs home run in World Series play in the 6-1 victory over the Tigers in game two of the series.
1907 – Cubs beat the Tigers 6-1 behind Orval Overall in game four of the World Series.
1906 – Cubs lost game three of the World Series 3-0 at West Side Grounds. White Sox’s Ed Walsh struck out 12 batters in the shutout.