It’s crunch time for the Chicago Cubs.
Following Friday night’s 1-0 loss to the Cleveland Indians, the Cubs now trail 2-1 in the 2016 World Series and face the prospect of falling behind 3-1 if they can’t solve Corey Kluber on Saturday evening at Wrigley Field.
So as first pitch approaches and tensions in the Windy City grow, here’s a look at when and where you can catch all of the Game 4 action:
Game 4 Preview
With a chance to take a commanding lead in the Fall Classic, the Indians will hand the ball over to Kluber—who last pitched on short rest in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Kluber was solid in that outing to the tune of seven strikeouts, four hits and two earned runs allowed in five innings, but the Indians fell 5-1 in Kluber‘s only loss of the postseason to date.
But this time around, Kluber sounds more confident in his ability to pitch on three days’ rest.
“The last time was first time on short rest, so I didn’t know what to expect about how I was going to feel,” he said, according to Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes. “Now that I do know I felt fine, it’s just a matter of using those three days to recover.”
And while Kluber is feeling more confident the second time around, so are the Cubs.
Although Chicago was shut out by Kluber when he went six innings and struck out nine in Game 1, the Cubs appear confident they will have a better approach against the 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner when they hit the field on Saturday night.
“Anytime you see a guy multiple times in a week, you’re going to feel more comfortable,” Cubs outfielder Dexter Fowler said, according to the Chicago Tribune‘s Mark Gonzales.
The Cubs will counter with John Lackey, who hasn’t made a postseason appearance since Oct. 19 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Furthermore, the 38-year-old hasn’t pitched more than four innings in the 2016 playoffs. However, the Cubs aren’t letting those numbers dampen their optimism.
“I have a lot of faith in John, and I know he’s going to be ready,” manager Joe Maddon said, according to the Chicago Tribune‘s Paul Skrbina. “I never worry about him, man. He has been there, done that, and I know he’ll be ready for (Saturday).”
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