The Chicago Cubs look to take care of business and eliminate the rival St. Louis Cardinals from the postseason behind starter Jason Hammel in front of the home crowd at Wrigley Field during Game 4 of the National League Division Series at 4:30 p.m. ET Tuesday. Toeing the rubber opposite Hammel is John Lackey, who shut down the Cubs during Game 1 but is pitching on three days’ rest. Chicago leads the series 2-1.
One of the biggest keys for the Cubs will be their ability to get to Lackey early in the game. If they allow the big righty to settle in like he did in Game 1, when he pitched 7.1 innings of two-hit, no-run ball, they could be facing a tied series and a trip back to Busch Stadium.
How can the North Siders avoid that? Well, by riding the momentum gained from Game 3 and keeping their power surge going.
After setting a major league record for most home runs in a postseason game with six, the hot Cubs hitters have to stay aggressive versus Lackey.
Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta, who started Game 3, said that the power display was a big turning point, per ESPN.com’s Jon Greenberg.
“Seeing the ball fly out of the yard as many times as it did was just incredible,” Arrieta said. “The atmosphere, the fans were kind of thriving off that. It’s nice for our offense to be able to do that, get some confidence going into [Game 4].”
Jorge Soler, who was noticeably missing from the lineup in Game 1, has been an impact player for the Cubs this series and could prove to be a handful for Lackey.
Soler set a record as well in Game 3, as he became the first player to reach base safely in his first nine postseason plate appearances. He is 4-for-4 with two home runs, four RBI and five walks. His two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning of Game 3 put the Cubs up 7-4 and relieved some of the pressure on the bullpen.
Hammel will pitch for the first time this postseason and will have to stay composed as he faces a group of Cardinals hitters who have fought hard all series.
After playing them 19 times during the regular season, the Cubs know a thing or two about the Cardinals’ resiliency. Speaking to the MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat, Cubs catcher Miguel Montero said his team needs a repeat performance versus the Redbirds:
These guys always come back and they keep grinding every at-bat. That’s the reason they won 100 games. They’re professional players out there, professional hitters and they make things happen. You can’t get enough runs against this team. We have to come back [Tuesday] with the same approach and go after it.
The top of the Cardinals lineup, especially rookie Stephen Piscotty and veteran Jason Heyward, who both homered Monday night, has given Cubs pitchers some problems so far. The duo is leading the Cardinals offense, hitting .417 and .333, respectively.
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny referenced the character of his club in a quote tweeted by the Cardinals earlier Tuesday:
Similar to Monday night when the wind was blowing out to right field, weather should be a factor again in Game 4. The forecast calls for a game-time temperature of roughly 60 degrees, with chillier weather developing later. During Tuesday’s press conference, Cubs manager Joe Maddon told reporters the conditions favor the pitchers:
If Hammel can figure out how to cool off the bats of Piscotty and Heyward, the Cubs could find themselves in a good position to clinch their first playoff series since 2003.
Hammel’s start is even more important given that the Cubs have gone to the bullpen a lot so far this series, especially in Game 3. As MLB.com’s Phil Rogers pointed out, a major question mark for the Cubs will be the depth of their bullpen. After Clayton Richard, Trevor Cahill, Travis Wood, Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon all saw action Monday night, will the group as a whole be dependable if Hammel struggles? Other arms may have to help shut down the Cardinals’ deep lineup.
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