NLDS Game 4 :
Cubs lead the series over the Cardinals 2-1 and can move on to the conference series with a win. The Cardinals look to even the series and take it back to St Louis. Clubs staked to a 2-1 lead have gone on to win the series 20 out of 24 times in NLDS history. Overall, teams that jump ahead 2-1 in a Division Series are 39-10. Twenty-six of those 49 series never saw a Game 5.
Tonight's line-up:
Carpenter 3B Piscotty 1B Holliday LF Heyward RF Peralta SS Grichuk CF Wong 2B Molina C Lackey P
Fowler CF Soler RF Bryant 3B Rizzo 1B Castro 2B Schwarber LF Montero C Hammel P Baez SS
John Lackey (13-10, 2.77 ERA) will go on three days rest, Lance Lynn was originally slated for the game when the series began but is winless vs. Chicago this season. Lackey has pitched on three days of rest four times during his career which includes twice in the postseason. The last time it happened was in 2005, with the Angels in Game 4 of the ALDS vs. the Yankees. He pitched 7.1 shutout innings (a no-hitter for six innings), allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out five to earn the win in NLDS Game 1. In three regular-season starts vs. the Cubs, Lackey was 2-0 with a 1.25 ERA. All three starts were at least seven innings with fewer than two runs allowed.
Jason Hammel (10-7, 3.74 ERA), his second time around with the Cubs. He has also been able to contribute more to the Cubs under Maddon than he did with him as a member of the Rays, but hopes to go as far if not all the way this time. In three games against the Cards he has given up seven earned runs on 10 hits over 11 innings, he went 10-7 with a 3.74 ERA in 31 starts for the Cubs this season. On Aug. 6, Maddon pulled Hammel with two on and no outs in the fifth inning against the Giants. Hammel said afterward he felt he earned the right to pitch his way out of the jam, but he and Maddon have since smoothed things over. The two have history, Hammel was a small part of the Rays run to the WS in 2008.
Addison Russell is not in the Cubs line-up after leaving last night's match with right hamstring tightness after legging out a triple in the fourth.