It’s do or die for the Chicago Cubs.
The 2016 World Champions face elimination in Game 4 of the 2017 National League Championship Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers easily beat the Cubs on Tuesday night in a crushing 6-1 defeat at Wrigley Field.
On Wednesday, right-hander Jake Arrieta (14-10) makes what could be his final start as a Cub. The 31-year-old is a free agent when the season ends. He won the Cy Young award in 2015 and helped the Cubs beat a 108-year winless curse last season. But in early September, he was sidelined by a hamstring injury.
The Dodgers will start 26-year-old Alex Wood (16-3) who has had three weeks rest because the Dodgers swept the Arizona Diamondbacks in their division series.
Last year, the Cubs came back from a 2-1 deficit against the Dodgers in the NLCS. But this year LA has a much stronger team, finishing with the best record in baseball with 103 regular seasons wins, and has cruised past the Cubs by three or more runs in each of the first three games of the series.
Wednesday’s Game 4 starts at 8:01 p.m.
Here’s another live report a few minutes before 8 p.m.:
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Cubs Look to Get Hot at Home in NLCS Game 3
Oct. 17: Down 0-2 to the Dodgers in the National League Championship series, the Cubs hope playing at the Friendly Confines will turn the team’s fortunes around.
Win or Go Home For Cubs vs. Nationals Game 5
Oct. 12: Cubs fans are gathering outside Wrigley Field for Game 5. It’s not the packed scene we’ve seen for the last three nights, but a sizable crowd has congregated on the Wrigley Plaza to watch the game on the big screen.
Cubs Lose Water-Logged Game 4Oct. 11: The Cubs and Nationals finally got Game 4 in under a steady cold drizzle at Wrigley Field.
