Larry Ness
NLDS Game of the Year 20*
Maybe the Cubs are destined to NEVER win? The Cubs became the first franchise to win back-to-back World Series titles in 1907 and 1908, but haven't won since. However, the Cubs were the NL's best team in 2008, winning 97 games while batting .278 as team and scoring an NL-high 855 runs (5.31 per). The Cubs opened the NLDS on Wednesday having gone 52-26 in Wrigley Field this season, outscoring opponents 5.60-to-4.19 RPG. They were facing LA's veteran righty Derek Lowe, whose road ERA (4.42) was more than two runs higher than his home ERA (2.30), which fit perfectly for Chicago, as the Cubs were 40-20 in Wrigley vs right-handers, averaging 5.2 RPG. Pitching for Chicago was Ryan Dempster, who was 14-3 with a 2.86 ERA at home in '08, with the Cubs going 16-4 in his 20 home starts. The Dodgers were just 36-45 on the road this year (outscored 4.31-4.73) and only 53-56 on the season vs right-handers (4.0 RPG). That includes going 22-33 vs righties on the road, averaging 3.7 RPG. So what happens? The Cubs took a 2-0 lead into the fifth inning but Dempster was hardly sharp for the Cubs. Dempster's lack on control finally caught up to him that inning (he would walk seven batters in 4.2 innings, tying a career high), when James Loney's hit a grand slam in the fifth. For good measure, Manny Ramirez would add his 25th career postseason HR and Russell Martin had a solo HR in the ninth. The Cubs out-hit the Dodgers 9-8 but Soriano (batting leadoff) was 0-for-5 with two strikeouts and Fukudome (batting second) went 0-for-4 with one strikeout. The Cubs haven't had a postseason win since Game 4 of the 2003 NLCS against Florida. Chicago lost the final three games of that series and was swept last year by Arizona in the NLDS. That makes seven straight postseason losses. As for LA, it was just the team's second postseason win in 14 games since 1988. Obviously, Game 2 is a "must win" game for the Cubbies. Carlos Zambrano gets the start for Chicago and he's NEVER won a postseason game. He threw Chicago's first no-hitter in 36 years on September 14 against Houston in a game moved to Milwaukee due to Hurricane Ike, striking out 10 Astros. However, in his two starts since, lasted only 6.1 innings while allowing nine hits and 13 ERs for an 18.47 ERA. Zambrano went 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA two starts versus the Dodgers this season, allowing 19 hits in 14.2 innings. In three career starts at Wrigley Field vs LA, he's 0-2 with a 5.12 ERA. None of those numbers inspire confidence but then no one saw his no-hitter coming, either. Chad Billingsley opened the '08 season 0-4 with a 6.87 ERA but wound up as LA's best pitcher this year. He finished 16-10 with a 3.14 ERA, allowing three ERs or less in 22 of his last 28 starts. However, he's in just his third season and let's note that LA was just 6-10 in his road starts TY. I'm backing the veteran Zambrano pitching for a DOMINANT home team in a "must win" game.
NLDS Game of the Year 20* Chi Cubs.