A loss to the Chicago Cubs in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series was a first for the Los Angeles Dodgers this postseason. Their six consecutive wins to begin the playoffs set a franchise record and tied for the third-longest such stretch in MLB history.
Heading into the potential elimination game, Cubs manager Joe Maddon and several players denied pressure or panic set in. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was next to voice a similar belief.
“I wouldn’t say that the pressure is on us. I think that we’re in a pretty good spot,” he said. “I still like the position we’re in.”
“We got beat [Wednesday]. And I think the thing is you can’t win them all. You’re not going to win them all. I thought we pitched well, I thought we competed in our at-bats, but we got beat, and that’s going to happen.”
Although Alex Wood only pitched 4.2 innings, the Dodgers avoided using Brandon Morrow and Kenley Jansen, and Kenta Maeda only threw 10 pitches in his inning of work. Further more, even with the loss, the Dodgers remain one win from reaching the World Series for the first time since 1988.
“We’ve got our number one pitcher going [Thursday], and we’ve got two of the guys at the back end rested,” Roberts said. “We’re going to do the same thing with the intent to win a baseball game.
“It’s a good feeling when we wake up, we know Clayton’s taking the mound. But as far as our mindset, the psyche, we know we’re going to be in for a battle, and we’ll be ready. We don’t expect anyone to lay down. It’s a very talented group. They’re the world champs, and you know they’re going to fight to the end.”
If the Dodgers are to lose Game 5, the NLCS will shift to Dodger Stadium for a Game 6 on Saturday, and if necessary, a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday. Only the 2004 Boston Red Sox have overcome a 3-0 series deficit.
They were sparked by Roberts’ stolen base in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the ALCS. He called the improbable comeback a “once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
