LOS ANGELES – Whatever the results at Wrigley Field this weekend, the Cubs are well aware of what the Cleveland Indians have done this postseason and how their pitching steamrolled the Red Sox and Blue Jays to reach the World Series.
“They’ve been outstanding. And who hits better than Toronto?” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said during the week as the Indians eliminated the Blue Jays in five games in the best-of-seven ALCS.
“You see what their pitching has done,” he added. “That’s a classic example of this time of the year. You get a small window to [take advantage of], and you get a really hot pitching staff. They’ve been unbelievable.”
Even after losing two of their top three or four starters (Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar) to injury before the playoffs began, the Indians won seven of eight playoffs games to reach the World Series for the first time since 1997.
“As young starting pitchers, they’re two of the best in baseball,” Maddon said of Carrasco and Salazar – both of whom were on the Cubs’ radar as trade targets in the last two years.
Reports from Cleveland suggest Salazar could return to the roster in the World Series, as a reliever.
Along the way, the pitching staff produced a 1.77 postseason ERA with three shutouts. The Red Sox and Jays combined to hit .206 against the Indians staff.
“And you lose your starter in the first inning with a bloody hand, and you’re able to piece it together like that,” Maddon said, referring to Cleveland’s Trevor Bauer, whose cut finger forced him out of a Game 3 ALDS start that the Indians won 4-2, using six relievers.
“That just speaks to what they’re doing. I know that Toronto group, and those boys can hit, and they really hit in that [Toronto] ballpark,” Maddon said. “That’s pretty impressive what the Indians are doing.”
Until the last two games, the Cubs had struggled against Giants and Dodgers pitching, hitting .185 and averaging 3.6 runs in seven games (four wins).
Contereras, umpires ‘cool’
After Thursday’s game in Los Angeles, Maddon and home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez met on the field for a “nice conversation” about catcher Willson Contreras’ demeanor and, uh, youthful exuberance.
“There was just a little bit of controversy regarding Willson,” Maddon said. “Willson tends to be temperamental. We talk about you don’t want to coach the aggressiveness out of somebody or the instinct. With him, you just have to continue to speak with him, because he’s passionate.
He’s passionate about everything he does,” Maddon said. “He’s passionate about his morning cup of coffee. That’s all that was. I had a nice conversation. Everything was cool.”
Notes: Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman is 3-for-3 with five strikeouts, no walks, one hit and no runs allowed in three ninth-inning save chances this postseason. In his four other appearances: 3 1/3 innings, three runs, four hits, two walks, three strikeouts. … Left-hander Jon Lester on Thursday became the first pitcher in history to win his first three starts when pitching Game 5 of a postseason series tied 2-2 (all best-of-seven series).
