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Chicago Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr. was removed from Game 4 of the National League Championship Series with hamstring tightness, per Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.

Continue for updates.

Cubs Lose Key Bullpen Piece

Thursday, Oct. 20

The 25-year-old pitcher came in for the seventh inning but only faced three batters, earning two outs before walking Corey Seager. After the walk, he was replaced by Travis Wood.

Edwards has pitched three innings so far in the postseason, allowing zero runs and only one hit.

In his first real work at the major league level this season, the young pitcher posted a 3.75 ERA in 36 innings. More impressively, he had a 0.81 WHIP to go with 52 strikeouts in this span for a rate of 13 per nine innings.

He had a couple of bad games down the stretch, leading to a 6.00 ERA in August and 5.79 ERA in September, but he has turned things around in the playoffs, becoming one of the most reliable relievers in the Cubs bullpen.

If he is forced to miss time, it creates more question marks for a unit that already featured plenty of doubts.

Aroldis Chapman will still be asked to close out games, but pitchers like Pedro Strop, Justin Grimm and Hector Rondon will likely have to take on bigger roles for the remainder of the series.

While the Cubs have one of the better starting rotations in baseball, they will need the bullpen to step up to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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The 2016 MLB postseason is butter, and Andrew Miller is a hot knife.

Miller got eight crucial outs Wednesday in the Cleveland Indians‘ 3-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, which sent the Tribe to their first World Series since 1997.

In all, Miller logged 7.2 scoreless innings in the ALCS. He allowed three hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out 14.

Those are stat-sheet-melting numbers. Somehow, though, they don’t do justice to what the lanky left-hander accomplished.

To truly appreciate Miller’s performance, you had to watch him befuddle a potent Blue Jays lineup, locating his fastball with pinpoint precision and eviscerating swings with his wipeout slider. And you had to watch him do the same thing to an even more dangerous Boston Red Sox offense in the division series.

Miller accepted his inevitable ALCS MVP trophy with characteristic humility.

“It’s a great team,” he said in postgame remarks to Turner Sports’ Ernie Johnson. “[The] defense. Our catcher Roberto Perez has been unbelievable. It’s so special to be a part of. Top to bottom, everybody did something to help us win.”

Fair enough. But let’s get real: Miller did the most.

No, he’s not the Indians’ closer. That role belongs to Cody Allen, who recorded the final three outs in Game 5 and has played a credible Robin to Miller’s Batman.

Miller is, however, drawing comparisons to the greatest postseason closer of all time, the New York Yankees‘ Mariano Rivera, from the likes of Pedro Martinez. Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer also dove into the Rivera-Miller parallel.

Miller hasn’t matched Rivera’s body of work. But he’s now thrown 20 postseason innings, including appearances with the Baltimore Orioles in 2014 and the Yankees in 2015, without allowing a run.

In these playoffs alone, he’s up to 11.2 innings with 21 strikeouts. That’s only seven shy of the all-time mark for a reliever in the postseason set by Francisco Rodriguez in 2002.

Cleveland limped into the playoffs with injured starters Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar on the shelf. Outside of ace Corey Kluber, its rotation was a flickering neon question mark.

Indians starters have held their own. In Game 5, rookie Ryan Merritt made the second start of his big league career and threw 4.1 gutsy, shutout frames.

Miller, though, has been the glue. Or the bridge. Pick your metaphor. He’s embodying the old-school fireman—the durable, lights-out reliever capable of stretching over two or more innings. In this era of pitch counts and revolving bullpen specialists, it’s a refreshing throwback.

Credit Indians skipper Terry Francona for trusting Miller and using him in a way that’s unconventional by 2016 standards. Then again, when something keeps working this well, why would you quit doing it?

Here’s a peek into Francona’s thinking on Miller, courtesy of MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince:

This postseason has featured its share of heroes. Edwin Encarnacion clubbed some big homers for Toronto. Chicago Cubs second baseman Javier Baez has dazzled with his glove and bat. Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw has shed his October stigma and delivered for L.A.

Miller, though, is easily the most pivotal game-changer on any playoff roster. If he can keep this rolling and get the Indians their first Commissioner’s Trophy since the Harry S. Truman administration, he’ll also go down as arguably the greatest trade-deadline acquisition ever.

After clinching Wednesday at the Rogers Centre, the Tribe get to fly home and enjoy five off days before opening the Fall Classic on Oct. 25 at Progressive Field.

That’s good news for the entire team but especially for Miller, who should be fully recharged to take on either the Dodgers or Cubs.

If you want to gaze ahead with caution, you could note that current Dodgers batters have hit a collective .318 off Miller, and Cubs hitters own a .292 average against him, per ESPN.com. The sample sizes are small, and the context is questionable, but that’s fodder for speculation, at least.

For now, Indians fans can exhale, sit back and take a moment to savor what just happened. Their slider-slinging southpaw is redefining dominance on a nightly basis. He’s making a run at history. Mostly, he’s just damn fun to watch.

Knife, meet butter. October, meet Andrew Miller.

All statistics current as of Wednesday and courtesy of MLB.com and Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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Attorneys for Edwin Encarnacion filed a motion in a New York court Tuesday to have a lawsuit against the Toronto Blue Jays first baseman dismissed due to a lack of evidence as well as questions regarding the jurisdiction of the case. 

Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star provided details of the filing Wednesday, which is in response to a suit filed by Ashley Lebron, an Encarnacion family friend, who said the MLB player knowingly infected her with genital herpes and chlamydia during a pair of sexual encounters in February.

“The complaint is devoid of a single fact supporting her conclusory allegations that the defendant knew or should have known that he had herpes and/or chlamydia,” the motion filed by Encarnacion’s lawyers stated.

Encarnacion doesn’t deny the pair had sex in February in his native Dominican Republic, where his lawyers argue any legal action would need to take place, but the motion also noted the details “do not even remotely suggest anything other than consensual sex between two sexually active adults.”

The Toronto Star added Lebron is seeking $11.5 million in damages for “past and future medical care as well as mental anguish and emotional and physical suffering.”

TMZ Sports passed along more information about the initial lawsuit in August. Lebron stated in her court filing that Encarnacion told her he was clean and responded to her questions by suggesting “she may have picked up [the STDs] when they went four-wheeling and she swam in the river.”

She also alleged the Blue Jays star later backed off his comments about being clean before ending all contact with her, according to TMZ Sports.

No timeline was provided for when a judge will rule on the request for dismissal in the case.

If the lawsuit is allowed to move forward, Sam Pazzano of the Toronto Sun reported the civil trial could occur by 2018, if not earlier, based on remarks from Lebron’s lawyer, Robert Hiltzik.

Encarnacion and the Blue Jays are currently playing in the American League Championship Series. They trail the Cleveland Indians 3-1 with Game 5 scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

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The Cleveland Indians are World Series bound.

Behind a gusty performance from rookie starter Ryan Merritt, the Indians beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-0, to win Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. They captured their first AL pennant since 1997.

In a formula which has worked all postseason, Cleveland struck early with home runs from Carlos Santana and Coco Crisp. After allowing two hits over 4.1 innings, Merritt handed the ball to a bullpen which once again locked down Toronto.

Andrew Miller shut the door with 2.2 scoreless innings before Cody Allen retired Toronto’s star sluggers for the save. Yet another improbable victory sends Cleveland to the World Series, where it will hold home-field advantage against the Los Angeles Dodgers or Chicago Cubs.

FINAL SCORE: Indians 3 – 0 Blue Jays

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The complexion of both the ALCS and NLCS changed significantly Tuesday, as the Toronto Blue Jays staved off elimination and the Los Angeles Dodgers took a 2-1 lead over the Chicago Cubs.  

Toronto is still in trouble as it faces a 3-1 deficit, but injury woes have the Cleveland Indians reeling. And while the NLCS could still go either way, pressure is mounting for the Cubbies after many years of playoff failures.

With the World Series quickly approaching, here is a full rundown of the remaining championship series schedule, as well as predictions for which teams will prevail in each series.

LCS Schedule

ALCS Predictions

The Indians had a great opportunity to put the Blue Jays away Tuesday in Game 4 with Corey Kluber on the mound, but Cleveland’s ace was outdueled by Aaron Sanchez, and Toronto’s bats finally came to life in a 5-1 triumph.

Toronto lived to fight another day, and it seemingly has the advantage in Game 5, as it will send Marco Estrada to the mound to take on Indians rookie Ryan Merritt.

The 24-year-old Merritt has just one career MLB start to his credit, but with a career ERA of 3.39 in the minors, he has a solid track record.

Even so, Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista seems unconcerned about the challenges the lefty could present, according to MLB.com’s Alykhan K. Ravjiani:

Toronto also has another factor on its side entering Game 5, as it has proven difficult to oust in the playoffs at Rogers Centre, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Most signs point toward the Jays winning at home and sending the series back to Cleveland, and while that will shift much of the pressure toward the Indians, there is a lot to like about how their rotation is set up.

Kluber figures to be available for a potential Game 7, but they may not need him due to how well Josh Tomlin has performed since the start of September.

Tomlin allowed just three hits and one run in 5.2 innings against the Blue Jays in Game 2, and as pointed out by the Indians’ official Twitter account, he is currently in the midst of a remarkable hot streak:

Neither team has swung the bats particularly well during the series, but Cleveland has been better in terms of coming up with timely hits in big situations.

The biggest key for the Indians will be grabbing a lead in one of the next three games and taking it into the fifth or sixth inning, which would then allow them to put the game in the hands of Andrew Miller and Cody Allen.

Tomlin’s recent form suggests he can help them keep a lead in Game 6, and that should allow them to move on to the World Series for the first time in nearly two decades.

Prediction: Indians in six

NLCS Predictions

The Cubs were the best team in baseball all season long, as their 103-58 record suggests, but after getting locked down by Rich Hill in Game 3 of the NLCS, they suddenly trail the Dodgers, 2-1.

Chicago’s bats have gone stagnant over the past two contests, earning Joe Maddon‘s team a dubious distinction that it would undoubtedly like to shake with a better performance in Game 4:

Game 4 will be a pivotal tilt since it could either push the Cubs to the brink of elimination or swing the momentum firmly back in their favor.

Chicago may have the perfect person on the mound for such a high-pressure situation, as 37-year-old veteran John Lackey will toe the rubber against 20-year-old rookie Julio Urias.

Lackey has 21 career postseason starts under his belt with a record of 8-5 and a 3.22 ERA. He has twice won the World Series, and he even started a World Series Game 7 with the Los Angeles Angels as a rookie in 2002.

ESPN’s Michael Wilbon believes Lackey has what it takes to help the Cubs erase their current series deficit:

Lackey struggled in his NLDS start against the San Francisco Giants, allowing seven hits, two walks and three runs in four innings, but Maddon feels he is prepared to deliver a strong outing in Game 4 of the NLCS.

“I think he’s still building up his arm strength. The last game in San Francisco, the velocity was pretty good. He probably wasn’t as sharp location-wise, but his stuff is absolutely there. I know he’s going to be ready for the moment,” Maddon told Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.

The Cubs have the advantage in Game 4 and figure to prevail thanks to Lackey’s veteran savvy, but things become more uncertain beyond that.

Los Angeles could deploy Clayton Kershaw in Game 5 or 6, however, the Cubs will have the advantage in the game Kershaw doesn’t pitch since struggling rookie Kenta Maeda figures to take the mound.

The current flow of the series suggests a Game 7 is very possible, and it would likely lead to a rematch of Game 3 between Hill and Jake Arrieta.

Although Arrieta faltered in Game 3, the 2015 Cy Young Award winner will turn it around at Wrigley Field and punch Chicago’s ticket to the World Series.

Prediction: Cubs in seven

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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The Toronto Blue Jays have their first taste of victory in the American League Championship Series after picking up a 5-1 triumph in Game 4, and that appears to be the beginning of a momentum change in the series.

The Blue Jays got the best of Cleveland ace Corey Kluber, as Josh Donaldson’s third-inning home run gave Toronto the lead for the first time in the series. The Blue Jays were able to build on that lead, and after the Indians cut into the advantage and made it a 2-1 game, Edwin Encarnacion knocked in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the seventh inning.

By itself, it looks like the Blue Jays still have a huge mountain to climb to get back into the series since they trail 3-1. However, the Indians have a problem with their starting pitching.

Outside of Kluber and Josh Tomlin, manager Terry Francona has few viable options open to him because injuries have caused big problems. In addition to Trevor Bauer and his bleeding pinkie finger, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar are both injured.

As a result, the Indians will send untested left-hander Ryan Merritt to the mound Wednesday afternoon at the Rogers Centre in Toronto for a 4:08 p.m. ET start. Merritt spent most of the year at Triple-A Columbus and pitched just 11 innings for the Indians.

While he did relatively well in his small sample size by allowing six hits and two earned runs, he simply does not have the kind of experience that is usually associated with a postseason starter.

That makes it difficult for the Indians to take the field with true confidence in Game 5. 

Jose Bautista said the Cleveland starter may have a difficult time believing in his ability to get the Blue Jays out. 

“With our experience in our lineup, I’m pretty sure he’s going to be shaking in his boots more than we are,” Bautista told Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca.

In addition to Merritt’s lack of experience, the Indians are not an offensive juggernaut at this point. They have scored nine runs in four games, and they have yet to score a run from the seventh inning on in the postseason.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays will send Marco Estrada to the mound with the hope of bringing the series back to Cleveland for the sixth game October 21.

Estrada did not have a sensational year as he finished 9-9 with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.119 WHIP. Estrada has pitched 16.1 innings in the postseason, and he picked up a win over the Texas Rangers in the American League Division Series and lost the opener to the Indians in the ALCS by a 2-0 margin.

The Blue Jays and Indians know that Estrada is capable of pitching an excellent game. Neither team knows what Merritt is capable of doing.

The oddsmakers have taken notice in the disparity among the Game 5 starting pitchers. The Blue Jays are minus-175 favorites, according to Odds Shark. The Indians are plus-165 underdogs to come away with the win and clinch a World Series berth.

Prediction

The worm has turned in the ALCS, and while it will still take quite a bit for the Blue Jays to come all the way back and join the 2004 Boston Red Sox as the only team in MLB history to come back from a 3-0 deficit and win the series, the Blue Jays should find a way to extend the series to six games.

Estrada is a strong pitcher, and the Blue Jays are getting enough hitting from Donaldson and Encarnacion to give them the belief that they will score enough runs to win. If Troy Tulowitzki and the slumping Bautista join the hitting parade, this game could turn into a rout.

Cleveland won a bullpen game in Game 3 when Bauer’s finger started to bleed badly in the first inning, and Francona had to remove him after just two outs. 

Perhaps Merritt can give the Indians three innings or more in this assignment, and the bullpen can take over from there. With Andrew Miller and Cody Allen dominating, they certainly have the relief pitchers to do an excellent job.

However, the Blue Jays are not going to let this opportunity slip away and will earn the Game 5 win.

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Fact: The Cubs were shut out for the second straight game on Tuesday night, losing to the Dodgers 6-0. This is the first time in Cubs history that they have been shut out twice in a single postseason. 

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The MLB postseason has been filled with drama throughout October, but that wasn’t the case on Tuesday.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays won the two respective games by a combined total of 11-1, but Los Angeles is in a much more favorable position than the Blue Jays moving forward. The Dodgers lead the Chicago Cubs 2-1 in the National League Championship Series, while the Cleveland Indians still hold a 3-1 advantage in the American League Championship Series.

With that in mind, here is a look at an updated bracket, recap of what happened and look ahead to the next games with spots in the World Series on the line.

Updated Bracket

American League

National League

Tuesday’s Results

American League

The Blue Jays kept their season alive with a 5-1 victory thanks to the Josh Donaldson show.

The third baseman started the scoring with a solo home run in the third inning that woke up a slumbering offense, as Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports noted:

Donaldson didn’t just do damage with his bat. Cleveland’s Roberto Perez trimmed the deficit to 2-1 with an RBI double in the fifth, and Carlos Santana appeared to find a hole on a potential game-tying hit, but Donaldson caught it with a full-extension dive and fired to first base to end the threat.

Heidi Watney of MLB Network pointed out he was happier with the defense than offense:

That fifth inning was the last legitimate scoring chance for the Indians throughout the game, while Toronto added insurance in the seventh and the eighth. The Blue Jays loaded the bases with nobody out in the seventh, and Edwin Encarnacion made Cleveland pay for an intentional walk of Donaldson with a two-RBI single.

Kevin Pillar added an RBI in the eighth with a sacrifice fly. 

The Blue Jays received six innings of one-run baseball from starting pitcher Aaron Sanchez and three shutout innings from the bullpen. As for Sanchez’s counterpart, Corey Kluber allowed two earned runs, four hits and two walks in five innings on short rest.

National League

If it was the Donaldson show in the American League, it was the Rich Hill show in the National League.

The southpaw cruised through six shutout innings against the Cubs and gave the Dodgers the 2-1 lead in the series. He allowed just two hits and struck out six against his former team and overcame a slow start in the second inning when things seemed to be slipping away.

Hill walked Anthony Rizzo and Jorge Soler, and the two runners eventually ended up on second and third after a Rizzo steal and a passed ball. However, Hill struck out Addison Russell and induced a groundout from Miguel Montero to stifle the threat.

He praised his catcher, Yasmani Grandal, for helping him keep his cool, per Dodger Insider: “Yas did a great job of getting me back on track.”

That wasn’t all Grandal did, as he drilled a two-run homer against Jake Arrieta. Justin Turner also took Chicago’s starter and last year’s National League Cy Young winner deep, and Corey Seager spearheaded much of the offense with three hits and an RBI.

Looking Ahead

American League

Regardless of what happens, Wednesday’s Game 5 will be the final contest in Toronto for the entire ALCS.

According to MLB.com, the Blue Jays will turn toward starting pitcher Marco Estrada, while the Indians will counter with rookie Ryan Merritt. The 24-year-old Merritt appeared in just four games all season—one of which was a start—but he is taking the ball on Wednesday almost out of necessity.

Danny Salazar hasn’t appeared in a game since Sept. 9 because of a forearm injury, and Carlos Carrasco is out for the year with a hand ailment.

Despite the injury woes, Merritt’s small-sample-size stats are head-turning in just 11 innings. He allowed two earned runs, six hits and zero walks for a 1.64 ERA and 0.55 WHIP. However, pitching in front of a raucous Rogers Centre crowd with their team’s season hanging in the balance will be a different story.

Look for the Toronto offense to continue its momentum from Tuesday’s win against an unprepared Merritt while Estrada pitches six solid innings. The Blue Jays will do enough to shift the series back to Cleveland.

Game 5 prediction: Blue Jays 5, Indians 3

National League

The Cubs won 103 games during the regular season, which was the best mark in all of baseball. Still, their backs are officially against the wall after failing to score in two straight games against the Dodgers following an eight-run outburst in Game 1.

A major part of the concern from Chicago’s point of view comes from the lack of production from three of its key pieces. Season-long MVP candidate Anthony Rizzo is an abysmal 2-for-26 in the playoffs, while Addison Russell is 1-for-24 and Jason Heyward is 2-for-19.

If that threesome continues to struggle, the Cubs’ season will likely end in the NLCS for the second straight year.

They will take their cracks at 20-year-old Julio Urias in Wednesday’s Game 4. While the rookie doesn’t have a postseason start on his resume, he did finish the 2016 campaign with a solid 3.39 ERA and 1.46 WHIP.

The Cubs will send the furthest thing from a rookie they have on their staff to the mound—37-year-old John Lackey. He has 24 playoff appearances in his career with a 3.22 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in those games.

While the Dodgers still have a great chance to ultimately win this series with Clayton Kershaw to unleash in later contests, experience will triumph over youth in Wednesday’s game. Lackey has pitched in big moments throughout his career, so the pressure surrounding this start will be nothing new.

A Chicago offense that finished third in the league with 808 runs will eventually snap out of its slump. Look for it to come against the rookie in a critical Game 4.

Game 4 Prediction: Cubs 6, Dodgers 3

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the driver’s seat in the National League Championship Series.

Now, rookie Julio Urias can steer them to the brink of a World Series berth.

After defeating the Chicago Cubs 6-0 in Game 3 of the NLCS on Tuesday, the Dodgers hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven tussle. They’re two victories away from their first trip to the Fall Classic since 1988.

So far this postseason, L.A. has started ace Clayton Kershaw, Japanese import Kenta Maeda and trade-deadline acquisition Rich Hill. Its bullpen, headlined by closer Kenley Jansen, has taken care of the rest.

In Game 4, however, skipper Dave Roberts will hand the ball to Urias, who will become the youngest starting pitcher in MLB playoff history at 20 years and 68 days old, per Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. (h/t Adam McCalvy of MLB.com). He’s slated to break Bret Saberhagen’s record, as the Kansas City Royals starter was 20 years, 175 days old when he pitched in the 1984 ALCS.

No pressure, kid. 

“Julio, I think that we expect him to just go out there and compete,” Roberts said, per McCalvy. “Use his pitch mix and go after these guys, give us a chance to win a baseball game. It’s what Julio has done all year long.” 

Specifically, it’s what he did in the second half.

In 40.2 innings after the All-Star break, Urias posted a 1.99 ERA with 40 strikeouts. More impressively, he boasted a 1.26 ERA in 35.2 innings since Aug. 8. He has consistently shown the stuff of the standout stud Los Angeles believes he’ll become.

Now, he can prove himself on baseball’s biggest, brightest stage.

These Cubs are potent, even though they’ve scored zero runs in the last two games against L.A. Their lineup is stuffed with budding superstars who can change everything with a single swing.

If you’re looking at backstory, Urias made two starts against the Cubs in the regular season.

On June 2, he yielded eight hits and five earned runs in five innings in a 7-2 loss at Wrigley Field. It was just the second start of his MLB career. He was still 19 years old. He was in the most historic, renowned ballpark in the National League. It wasn’t exactly a fair display of his talent.

On Aug. 27, however, he pitched six innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts in a 3-2 victory at Chavez Ravine—where he’ll pitch Wednesday night in front of a full-throated Southern California home crowd. 

That second start made Urias feel “more comfortable” against the Cubs, per David Vassegh of AM 570 L.A. Sports. 

But it’s not predictive. The Cubs ranked second only to the mile-high Colorado Rockies among NL clubs in runs and OPS in the regular season. Urias could get whacked on Wednesday, like anyone else.

The burgeoning hurler appears poised for success, though. He’s a different animal from the fresh call-up who took the mound back in June.

Urias is rested, having thrown just two innings since Sept. 29. Those two frames just happened to come in a winner-take-all NLDS Game 5 against the Washington Nationals. He had ice water in his veins during the outing, becoming the youngest MLB pitcher to ever win a postseason game.

And while this is a game the Dodgers would like to win, it’s not one they need to win, so the expectations are marginally less weighty.

Not that Urias can’t take it. The southpaw is still about a year shy of the legal U.S. drinking age, but Roberts called him “calm and cool,” per Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times. 

“Some of it plays to the youthfulness, the naivete, and just not really understanding the gravity of this moment, which is great,” Roberts said, per Moura.

For his part, Urias acknowledged the stakes. 

“It’s something you have to deal with,” he said, per Paul Skrbina of the Chicago Tribune. “I felt the adrenaline when I was on the bench, so I’m thinking it’s something I’m also going to feel [in Game 4].”

No Cubs hitter has anything approaching a deep history against Urias. But Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Jason Heyward have all homered against him. 

“It’ll be easier to establish what we want to do against him, just because we’ve all had at-bats against him,” Bryant said, per MLB.com’s Phil Rogers. “But it’s a different time of the year. I’m sure he’ll be throwing a little harder because it’s the postseason.”

There’s also the controversy over Urias‘ pickoff move, which The Beat’s Justin Russo captured: 

That’s a possible source of grumbling if you’re searching for one. Cubs manager Joe Maddon called it “balking 101,” per MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch. So keep an eye on that.

Sideshows notwithstanding, however, Urias has a path to October glory if he can outshine veteran Chicago right-hander John Lackey, who was finishing up high school in Abilene, Texas, when Urias was born. He can pen a legend and scribble his name all over it.

“Under normal circumstances,” USA Today‘s Jorge L. Ortiz opined, “the Dodgers brass might have preferred to go with a more experienced starter.” But these aren’t normal circumstances. Injuries have beset L.A.’s starting corps. So here’s Urias, healthy and ready.

The Dodgers are in the driver’s seat. And a kid who’s barely tasted his 20s has his foot poised over the accelerator.

Buckle up.

All statistics current as of Tuesday and courtesy of MLB.com and Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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The Chicago Cubs find themselves in an unexpected position heading into Game 4, but this series is still far from over.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the surprise leaders of the National League Championship Series, currently up 2-1 after the 6-0 victory in Game 3 on Tuesday night. The pitching has been lights out over the last two games, shocking a Cubs team that won 103 games during the regular season.

This puts the pressure on Chicago to even the series or else end up in desperation mode in the coming days.

NLCS Game 4

When: Wednesday, Oct. 19

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

TV: Fox Sports 1

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Preview

The big question after the past two games is the state of the Cubs lineup, which was seemingly unstoppable heading into the series. The offense finished the season third in baseball in runs scored, with Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo representing arguably the best one-two punch in the sport.

Unfortunately, this group has been completely shut down over the past two games by Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill.

Failing to score a single run in two games is embarrassing enough; going 6-for-60 at the plate as a team in this stretch is a disaster. Dexter Fowler’s double was the only extra-base hit.

Ben Finfer of ESPN Radio noted the extended concern going forward:

Of course in baseball, a team is only as good as its next day’s starting pitcher. This puts a lot of pressure on 20-year-old Julio Urias. The Dodgers rookie has pitched only two innings this postseason—he allowed one hit and no runs against the Washington Nationals in Game 5 of the National League Division Series—which means he is likely to feel the pressure in by far the biggest start of his career.

The southpaw has a lot of talent, but the Cubs can get after him if they are patient at the plate. If the walks start coming, the hits will follow—and so will the runs.

On the other side, the Cubs will use a pitcher with a lot more playoff experience. John Lackey comes to the mound with a respectable 3.22 ERA in 131.1 career postseason innings. That is almost double the amount of innings Urias has pitched in his entire major league career (79 innings including playoffs).

He also has two World Series titles, and he pitched in both of the championship-clinching games.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon explained the advantage Lackey has compared to a younger pitcher, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times:

You could always say that what you don’t know can’t hurt you — you just go out there and you’re winging it and you’re not over-analyzing it; I get that. But having an experienced guy like John … he really understands what he’s doing out there and how to manipulate and work against certain hitters.

He knows how to use a hitter’s aggressiveness against him. He knows who to stay away from in certain moments. He’ll pick his poison, who to pitch to and who to not pitch to. He has a really good feel for this part of the game.

Even after allowing three runs in four innings in his only other start of the postseason, the Cubs should feel confident sending their fourth starter to the mound Wednesday.

While the Dodgers lineup has been effective, especially Adrian Gonzalez and Corey Seager, this group is not unstoppable.

Still, none of it will matter if the Chicago offense does not come alive. Rizzo’s 3-for-29 in the playoffs stands out, but just about everyone is to blame for the current slide.

The good news is there is enough talent on the roster to turn things around. If just one or two players perform to their ability, the Cubs should be able to break out of the slump and find a way to even up the series.

Prediction: Cubs 4, Dodgers 3

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.

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