Nationals to stick with Roark for Game 4.
Game 4 of the National League Division Series was washed away by rain Tuesday, postponing Jake Arrieta’s return for the Chicago Cubs and leading to a decision by Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker sure to be debated inside the Beltway.
The Cubs and Nationals took batting practice and the grounds crew got the field ready before bringing out the tarp. The rain started to fall about a half-hour after the game was supposed to start at Wrigley Field. With more showers in the forecast, Major League Baseball then called it off.
Chicago leads, 2-1, in the bestof-five series going into Game 4, now scheduled for 3:08 p.m. Wednesday. There is rain in the forecast for early in the day.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon said the World Series champions will stay with Arrieta, who is coming back from a right hamstring injury. Baker had left open the possibility of using ace Stephen Strasburg before the rainout, but then announced after the game was called that he would stay with Tanner Roark.
Baker said Strasburg threw a bullpen Tuesday and has been “under the weather,” contributing to the decision. He said much of the team is battling a cold.
If the Nationals win Wednesday, Game 5 would be Thursday in Washington.
Arrieta has pitched just 101⁄3 innings since Aug. 30. The 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner hurt his right hamstring during a loss at Pittsburgh on Sept. 4. He returned late last month and made a couple starts down the stretch but lasted just three innings in a loss at St. Louis on Sept. 26.
The Cubs skipped Arrieta’s last turn in the rotation in the regular season and then pushed him back to Game 4 for the playoffs, giving the right-hander ample time to rest.
“Jake’s really primed for this opportunity,” Maddon said. “He’s done a great job of rehabbing his leg. He feels very good arm- and leg-wise right now. I’m real eager to watch him play.”
Dodgers earn a break: The Dodgers’ 1-16 skid from late August into September seemed strange while it was happening. After spending all summer as the most resilient, resourceful team in baseball, Los Angeles suddenly stopped scoring the extra runs and earning the late-game breaks that had made it so dominant.
When the 104-win Dodgers swept past Arizona and into the NL Championship Series on Monday night, that late-season slump looked even more inexplicable.
But it’s clear the Dodgers have flipped their switch back on again, and that should worry every prospective opponent of this high-priced, high-powered dynamo.
After four days off, the Dodgers will get back to work this weekend when they host either the Cubs or Nationals on Saturday night to begin Los Angeles’ fifth NLCS in 10 years.
The Dodgers earned an extended break with their one-sided series victory over the Diamondbacks, one of the few teams to give consistent trouble to Los Angeles in the regular season. The Dodgers capped the sweep with a 3-1 win in the clincher, getting timely offense from rookie Cody Bellinger and a strong start from late-season pickup Yu Darvish before the formidable bullpen and closer Kenley Jansen slammed another door.
“You look at the three games in the series, and they’re all team wins,” said manager Dave Roberts, whose club outscored Arizona, 20-11. “From the first pitch, there was a plan in place, and we executed. We were relentless every single pitch.”
Yankees, Indians set for showdown: There were no noticeable signs of panic or pressure.
Now is not the time to show any weakness.
As the Cleveland Indians got ready for their biggest game this season, a winner-take-all Game 5 against the New York Yankees, everything seemed normal, routine.
Before answering questions at his news conference, manager Terry Francona — a Cavaliers season-ticket holder — asked about the NBA team’s new lineup, joked about his limited vocabulary and later tried on all-star shortstop Francisco Lindor’s diamond-encrusted, $30,000 necklace.
The mood around the cage was typically loose Tuesday during batting practice, with a few players shagging flies while keeping an eye on slugger Edwin Encarnacion as he tested his sprained ankle.
Their season is on the line, and the Indians, who haven’t lost three straight since Aug. 1, know it.
“Boils down to the loser goes home,” ace Corey Kluber said.
Unable to put the Yankees away in the booming Bronx, the Indians, who are chasing their first World Series title since 1948, have another chance to advance Wednesday night — and a date with Houston in the ALCS — against a New York team riding momentum into the finale of this ALDS.
Cleveland’s 2-0 series lead seemed to vanish in a New York minute.
Backed by a raucous crowd that rocked Yankee Stadium on every pitch, the wild-card winners edged the Indians, 1-0, in Game 3, and then took advantage of four errors by one of baseball’s best defensive teams in Game 4 to win, 7-3, on Monday night.
After the Yankees blew a fiverun lead and lost Game 2 in 13 innings Friday night, it appeared their days were numbered.
Instead, they fought back.