Cubs sure don't look tight, or panicking or thinking of curses ahead of NLCS Game 4
They are only down 2-1 in a seven-game series, not 3-0
By
Matt Snyder
•
4 min read
LOS ANGELES -- This subject seems too silly to discuss, really, but when the players are wearing the Cubs uniform and a playoff series all of a sudden isn't going perfectly to plan, it inevitably gets brought up.
"Are you guys worried?"
"Are you gonna be tense/tight leading up to the game?"
Questions of that ilk. Everyone is just so giddy to discuss the subject of Cubs players collapsing under the weight of the world in the playoffs, due to the history of the franchise.
It's so ridiculous that after the Cubs lost a game to the Giants last round, Jon Lester was being asked questions about curses and goats before Game 4.
"I think the biggest thing is is nobody really cares in there about a curse or a goat or anything else, you know what I mean? I mean, like it is what it is. It's what you make of it. So, we're not going to let -- if we make a mistake, we're not going to blame it on a curse or anything else like that. We're going to blame it on ourselves and be accountable for it and move on to the next play or the next moment."
"Plus, I think we got too many young guys in there that don't even know what that stuff is, you know what I mean? So, it's almost better to play naive and just go out and worry about us, worry about the Cubs and not anything else in the past or, like I said, any animals."
Bear in mind, the Cubs were winning that series, two games to one. They had a lead and were one game from clinching and there were still questions asking about what the Cubs are up against.
Now down 2-1, things already start to be brought up in the clubhouse.
After Game 3, the Cubs couldn't have seemed more confident, considering the circumstances of just having been shutout in two straight games.
"It's only 2-1, we just have to win Game 4," Miguel Montero said.
Kris Bryant and Dexter Fowler both continually stressed that they weren't worried and they know how quickly things can change for this team.
This is where one might wonder, what are they supposed to say? And that's totally fair. Of course the players are going to say the right things. In judging their body language and mannerisms, though, they meant it. They were calm. There didn't seem to be as much ego or arrogance as an air like "that's just how these things go sometimes."
They should know.
Back in May, the Cubs dropped eight of 12 games. They responded by winning 10 of their next 11 games. From late June and to nearly the All-Star break, the Cubs had their worst stretch of the season, dropping 15 of 20 games. They would respond by winning 21 of their next 27 games in world-beating fashion.
The last time the Cubs were shutout in the regular season actually came in Dodger Stadium on August 28. The Cubs would score eight runs in a win the following day and go on a five-game winning streak.
So when someone asked Fowler if he was worried and he went "nah," there was something behind it.
"Because I've seen [the Cubs bounce back] before," he said.
Coming full circle, the actions before Game 4 bear out the discussion points.
Fowler, Addison Russell and Matt Szczur were playing football (alternating playing quarterback and running routes) on the outfield before batting practice.
Before batting practice, the position players huddled with hitting instructors and other coaches and went around the circle talking and laughing for a few minutes. David Ross even showed up last and they made him tip his cap while they clapped for him, one of those workplace "let's all thank David for showing up" moments in tardiness.
As for batting practice, it was normal. I've seen LCS or World Series batting practice on the field over 50 times in the past six postseasons and every team is different. Some teams are more businesslike than others (think 2011 Cardinals) while others are more fun types (2013 Red Sox). These Cubs obviously fall in the fun category and they were pretty normal on Wednesday. They were loose, but they're always loose.
So why are we talking about it? Because it's the Cubs and people seem to want to pin additional baggage on them, as if the, say, 1984 or 2003 failures have anything to do this particular group.
Panic? Not these guys. They faced plenty of regular-season adversity and burst through with world-beating winning streaks as a response. Now they need to do it in the playoffs. As we get set for Game 4, there's no reason to think they can't bounce back. They have that same look they've had all season -- that look that has been wildly successful to this point.
