Levine: On Verge Of Elimination, Cubs Vow To Refocus, Keep Fighting
By Bruce Levine--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Cubs' season on the brink will ride with left-hander Jon Lester and hi teammates Sunday evening after Chicago's offensive collapse in the first four games of the World Series has left it staring at a 3-1 deficit to the Cleveland Indians.
In Game 4 on Saturday at Wrigley Field, the Cubs' hitting struggles were exacerbated by a bullpen implosion in a 7-2 loss. The end result? After a 103-win regular season, the Cubs must win three straight games in order to win their first championship in 108 seasons.
"There is always confidence," first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. "That is especially true with Jon going. This will sound cliche, but we feel good. We know we are down 3-1 in the World Series. We feel good with who we have on the mound tomorrow. We get tomorrow's game, we really put pressure on them. We need to focus right away."
The Cubs entered Saturday hitting .201 in the World Series, and it didn't get much as they had seven hits in Game 4. Despite pitching on three days rest, Indians ace right-hander Corey Kluber dominated for six innings, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out six.
In picking up two victories in this World Series, Kluber has given up just one run in 12 innings. The Cubs are hitting .204 in this series, with just seven runs in four games.
"They were definitely more aggressive this time," Kluber said. "That is really how most lineups approach me. We just really stuck with our game plan. We could recognize pretty early on what they were doing."
The adjustments that Chicago discussed making against the Cleveland staff have been marginal at best. Facing Kluber on short rest was suppose to work to the Cubs' advantage, but those adjustments didn't really materialize.
"I thought we had better at-bats against Kluber than we had a couple of nights ago," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "The hits just were not there."
The Cubs felt Saturday's game turned on a missed strike three call on Francisco Lindor in the third inning. Right-hander John Lackey had made a solid pitch on the inside corner that appeared to catch the plate, umpire Marvin Hudson hesitated called a ball. Lindor followed by singling home Jason Kipnis to give the Indians a 3-1 lead.
"You know we teach our guys that even if an umpire misses a call, we could work through that," Maddon said. "You just have to keep moving through the moment."
Regardless, the Cubs offense must pick it up quick against Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer on Sunday. If not, the long and cold offseason will begin for the National League champions.
"We will just come in tomorrow and do what we do," Rizzo said. "We will be ready to face Trevor Bauer from pitch one"
The Cubs down 3-1 in the World Series for the sixth time in their history. They lost on the previous five occasions.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
