The Cleveland Indians grabbed a 2-1 lead in the World Series on Friday night with a dramatic 1-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs. The win also restored the home-field advantage the American League champions had lost by dropping Game 2 at Progressive Field.
Now the pressure rests squarely on the Cubs' shoulders heading into Saturday's Game 4. A 3-1 series lead for a team with Cleveland's pitching, especially its shutdown bullpen, would feel like an insurmountable advantage with two home games looming for the Indians, if necessary.
With that in mind, let's check out all of the important information for Saturday's contest. That's followed by a look at the odds, along with a preview and prediction for Game 4.
Game 4 Viewing Details
Where: Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois
When: Saturday, Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. ET
Watch: Fox
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Odds Information
Preview
The managers are utilizing different pitching tactics for Game 4.
Cleveland's Terry Francona is turning back to his ace, Corey Kluber, on short rest with hope the Indians can take a commanding lead. The 2014 Cy Young Award winner pitched six shutout innings with nine strikeouts in the team's Game 1 victory.
Chicago's Joe Maddon is sticking with a four-man rotation, which means John Lackey will take the ball Saturday night for the Cubs. While it's a risky move in a 2-1 hole, it means he'd have Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks lined up on normal rest to finish the series.
Lackey has struggled in the postseason, giving up five earned runs while allowing 10 hits and five walks in eight innings against the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers. He'll likely be looking at a quick hook if he can't settle into a rhythm early.
The other concern for Chicago is dealing with the emotion. The atmosphere at Wrigley Field for Game 3 was predictably special, as the long-tortured fanbase finally got an opportunity to see the Cubs play a World Series game after a 71-year absence.
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times passed along postgame comments from catcher Willson Contreras, who admitted the situation caused the team to press too hard to make a big play.
"We were so anxious to win this game that we tried to do too much," Contreras said. "We were first-pitch swinging. We didn't see a lot of pitches. We were trying to do too much to [Indians starter Josh] Tomlin, and he made the right pitch in the right spots."
Meanwhile, the Indians don't mind Chicago hogging the spotlight. The star-studded Cubs came into the series as the favorite after a dominant regular season and, given the difference in market size, it's no surprise they garnered most of the attention.
Add in the fact Cleveland has been playing without two key pieces—outfielder Michael Brantley and starter Carlos Carrasco—just reaching the World Series was a major accomplishment. Beating the Cubs without them seemed like a massive uphill battle.
Jordan Bastian and Carrie Muskat of MLB.com provided remarks from Tomlin after the Game 3 win concerning the lack of outside interest.
"I think we've been an afterthought all year long," Tomlin said. "It doesn't bother us. We know we have a group of guys who grind it out and try to play the game we know how to play and don't listen to anybody else."
They are just two victories away from bringing another championship to Cleveland after the Cavaliers' NBA title triumph earlier in the year. It's no shock they want the narrative to remain the same.
Hope is far from lost for the Cubs, though. Jon Hansen of WGN Radio pointed out they found themselves in the same situation in the NLCS before storming back to beat the Dodgers:
All told, between Kluber working on short rest and Andrew Miller pitching an inning and a third Friday, there should be an opportunity for the Cubs offense to score runs in the middle innings. Those frames will likely decide whether they level the series or find themselves in must-win mode for Game 5.
Prediction: 5-4 Cubs
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