Javier Baez on Wednesday night snapped a zero-for-20 post-season skid with two home runs and Wade Davis hung on for a six-out save as the Chicago Cubs avoided a sweep by holding off the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.
Jake Arrieta pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning to hold defending World Series champions the Cubs close at 3-1.
Manager Joe Maddon got ejected for the second time in the series in the eighth, and a packed Wrigley Field crowd watched Davis get Cody Bellinger to ground into a game-ending double play.
Photo: AP
Maddon was heavily criticized for not using Davis during a 4-1 loss in Game 2. This time, the Cubs closer threw 48 pitches to finish the job.
Willson Contreras also homered for the Cubs. Bellinger and Justin Turner connected for the Dodgers, who had won a team-record six straight playoff games.
“We have to be much more offensive,” Maddon said. “It’s got to start happening tomorrow. We’re going to do this. Going to pull this off, we have to become more offensive tomorrow.”
“They’re the world champs, and you know they’re going to fight to the end,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So today, they did. We got beat today.”
Baez hit solo drives in the second and fifth after going hitless in his first 20 playoff at-bats. Contreras added a long homer against Alex Wood.
Davis entered with a 3-1 lead in the eighth. He gave up a leadoff homer to Turner, who went two for two and drew two walks.
Maddon became incensed that a swinging strike three against Curtis Granderson was ruled a foul after the umpires discussed the play.
Maddon got tossed, and Granderson struck out swinging at the next pitch.
After walking Yasmani Grandal to put runners on first and second, Davis struck out Chase Utley, who is hitless in his past 24 post-season at-bats.
All seven of Chicago’s runs in the series have come on homers, and long drives in the second by Contreras and Baez made it 2-0. Contreras’ homer banged off the left-field video board and Baez’s landed beyond the left-field bleachers on Waveland Avenue.
Bellinger cut it to 2-1 with his drive to right in the third. However, Baez got the lead back up to two with a shot to the left-field bleachers in the fifth, the raucous crowd chanting “Javy! Javy!” for the flashy young star who shared Most Valuable Player honors in the series last year.
Arrieta exited with runners on first and second in the seventh after walking Chris Taylor on a 3-2 pitch. He tipped his hat as fans gave him a standing ovation, a fitting show of appreciation for a pitcher with an expiring contract.
Arrieta turns 32 in March next year and figures to land a huge deal in free agency. The trade from Baltimore helped fuel Chicago’s rise, with the right-hander capturing the 2015 National League Cy Young Award and contributing to last year’s drought-busting championship run.
Limited by a right hamstring injury in the final month of the season, he threw 111 pitches. Brian Duensing retired Bellinger on a fly to end the seventh.
Turner made it a one-run game with his homer off the left-field video board against Davis in the eighth.
A career-high 16-game winner, Wood gave up three runs and four hits in 4-2/3 innings.
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