Baseball: Baez homers twice, Cubs edge Dodgers to avoid sweep

CHICAGO -- Javier Baez blasted two home runs and the defending champion Chicago Cubs avoid being swept out of the Major League Baseball playoffs Wednesday by edging the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3-2.

The Dodgers still lead the best-of-seven National League Championship Series, 3-1, and could advance to their first World Series since 1988 with a victory in Thursday's Game 5.

"We've been struggling as a team in the playoffs but we've finally gotten on track and hopefully we keep going," Baez said.

The Cubs-Dodgers winner will play either the New York Yankees or Houston Astros in the World Series starting Tuesday. The Yankees lead that series, 3-2, entering Game 6 Friday at Houston.

Baez blasted his first hits of the playoffs into the outfield bleachers at Wrigley Field to snap out of his slump in impressive fashion.

"I've just been struggling a lot this series and the series before. I've been trying so hard," Baez said. "I just said, 'Today don't try to go so hard,' and that's what happened."

Baez and Willson Contreras blasted solo homers in the second inning to put the Cubs ahead 2-0, but Cody Bellinger answered in the third for the Dodgers with a solo homer of his own to halve Chicago's lead.

Baez responded with another solo homer in the fifth inning, boosting the Cubs ahead 3-1. The Dodgers had not trailed so late in a game in the playoffs.

Chicago brought on relief ace Wade Davis in the eighth inning but the first batter he faced, Dodgers slugger Justin Turner, blasted a solo homer to pull Los Angeles within 3-2.

Yasiel Puig walked and an emotional moment followed when Dodgers batter Curtis Granderson argued a third-strike, claiming he tipped the ball, and had an umpire's call overturned.

That sent heated Cubs manager Joe Maddon out of the dugout to complain and he was ejected, begging for consideration of a video replay that is not approved for such situations.

Davis struck out Granderson cleanly for the second out of the eighth but Yasmani Grandal walked to send potential tying run Puig to second base.

Chase Utley, hitless in his previous 23 times at bat in the playoffs, came to the plate for the Dodgers and struck out to end the threat.

In the ninth, Davis issued a one-out walk of Chris Taylor to put the potential tying run on base again but Bellinger grounded into a game-ending double play.

"We're in a position to win or go home so we brought in the closer to make sure everything is good," Baez said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Fate of 'cursed' Cubs fueling World Series fever

CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs fans hoping to see their team end a World Series title drought stretching back more than a century are paying a hefty price for the opportunity.

After splitting the first two games of Major League Baseball's Fall Classic with the Indians in Cleveland, the Cubs head home for Games 3, 4 and 5 and ticket prices at venerable Wrigley Field have skyrocketed.

Prices posted on ticket reselling site StubHub for game three -- the first World Series game at Wrigley Field in 71 years -- showed a pair of standing room only tickets being offered at $2,250 apiece, while a pair of tickets to box seats near a dugout were offered at $30,000 each on Thursday afternoon.

ESPN, citing "insiders" with access to StubHub buyer and seller data, said the median price of a ticket sold via the site for game three was $3,000. The median price reflects the middle number in the series of ticket prices arranged in order of value.

The median price of tickets sold for games one and two of the series in Cleveland was $1,000.

If a spot in the stadium is out of reach, fans keen to soak up the atmosphere can purchase tickets to view the game from a "Wrigley rooftop" -- on buildings that overlook the ballpark and cater to fans. Even those cost nearly $1,000.

Prices exploded as soon as the Cubs booked their World Series berth with a National League Championship Series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Tickets for Friday's game three were promptly listed on event ticket search engine TicketIQ for an average of $6,155.

"I was not expecting an average asking price in the $6,000 range. It was a surprise even for a person who tracks the market all the time," Jesse Lawrence, founder and chief executive of TicketIQ, said. "From a historical standpoint, it's totally mind-boggling."

The Cubs last won the World Series in 1908 and haven't played in the championship since 1945.

Some fans consider the team cursed given the near-misses and sometimes woeful seasons that have come over the past 71 years.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

St. Louis batters finally spark in NLCS Game 4

LOS ANGELES -- A few hours before Tuesday's Game Four, St Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said his team was "just a click off" and ready to break out of a batting slump in their bid to take a 3-1 series lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

By the time the game ended in front of a subdued home crowd, Matheny was proved right in emphatic style as the Cardinals struck two home runs on the way to a 4-2 win that put them on the brink of clinching in the best-of-seven series.

"We just had some good players put into position to do what they do, and they did it well tonight," Matheny told reporters after the St Louis batters delivered when it mattered after scoring a total of just four runs in the previous three games.

In the top of the third inning, Matt Holliday blasted a two-run homer that flew over left field an estimated 426 feet into the Dodgers bull-pen, and pinch-hitter Shane Robinson followed suit by homering on a fly ball to left field in the seventh.

"We have some guys that are prepared to come off the bench and take big at-bats," Matheny said. "I think teams may overlook a Shane Robinson and what he can bring to the plate.

"You definitely acknowledge and tip your hat to the guys that, when it's not their night to start, that they're ready to go when they get the opportunity.

"Hopefully, we can throw some offense together like we were today a little bit and keep some positive thoughts going," he added, referring to Wednesday's Game Five, also in Los Angeles.

Regaining form

Earlier in the day, Matheny had been confident his batters would regain explosive form after mainly struggling against the top Dodgers pitchers in the opening three, low-scoring games of the National League Championship Series (NLCS).

"This team has gone through lulls, just like every other team offensively," Matheny said. "We know that we have the offensive potential. The numbers back that. The guys' belief in themselves backs that.

"But we've got to get it going. We've got to figure out a way. We've got to get it started and hopefully it will put one of those good, long runs together.

"The honest valuation is we have a couple guys that are just a click off, and it's not far. We're seeing some balls and real good swings on a couple balls that are mistakes in the middle of the plate."

The Cardinals can book a place in the World Series by winning on Wednesday, but they will have to contend with ace Dodgers pitcher Zach Greinke, the 2009 Cy Young winner, who will be boosted by his home fans at Dodger Stadium.

"We certainly don't talk about wonderful positions," Matheny said. "What we talk about is we've got a game to play tomorrow. We've got a huge responsibility to go out and play it the right way.

"Right now, we've got no problem celebrating this one (the Game Four win). Every one of these in the post-season are so tough to come by.

"But we really don't get too much beyond what we have tomorrow and realise that we have to go out and play a good game. We've got to have the solid pitching and play a clean defense."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com