A rematch of last year’s National League Championship Series has swung in favor of the Los Angeles Dodgers thus far, as their bullpen has outperformed that of the Chicago Cubs. What was a soft spot for the Cubs for much of the season has continued to dog them in the playoffs.
In Game 1 of the NLCS, Hector Rondon and Mike Montgomery allowed a combined three runs in 1.1 innings, which allowed the Dodgers to take a lead en route to a 5-2 win. On Sunday night, Carl Edwards Jr. bounced back from a subpar appearance to strike out three in 1.1 scoreless innings.
Pedro Strop followed with a scoreless inning of work, and Brian Duensing followed suit in the eighth and exited with a runner on and two outs in the ninth inning. John Lackey entered the game, walked Chris Taylor and surrendered a walk-off home run to Justin Turner.
While the loss put the Cubs in a 2-0 series deficit, Edwards Jr. voiced confidence the team will flip the script at Wrigley Field, via MLB.com:
“We’ll come back. We’ll be back in Chicago. I know our fans will be there and they’ll be loud and before you know it, the series will be tied.”
Similarly, Jason Heyward’s confidence is buoyed by returning home:
Said Chicago’s Jason Heyward: “Let’s go to Chicago and see what happens.”
The relief appearance in Game 2 was a first for Edwards Jr. He went 1-1 with a blown save and 23.14 ERA while pitching in all five games of the NL Division Series.
Heyward went 0-for-3 on Sunday in what was his first start of the NLCS. He was just 2-for-12 with two walks and three strikeouts in five games (four starts) during the NLDS.
Although the Cubs’ bullpen has faltered through the postseason just far, their offense has not been of much help. Chicago batters have scratched just three runs on five hits, with 21 strikeouts compared to two walks.
