I have to say one thing and that is that the Cubs have grit and determination. The Game 4 win was not pretty. They still haven't scored a run other than by the home run, but the won. Contreras and Baez came to life while the remainder of the team remained somnolent.
Arrieta pitched very well. Davis, who is pretty much lost to the team until Saturday, gutted out a six-out save. Well, they won, and that's what counts.
One observation: Davis really isn't any good at the multiple inning saves. His performance was more or less identical to the Game 5 NLDS save in that he was shaky until the ninth when he was dominant. I don't know what the psychology of this situation is on both the pitching and hitting ends, but there is something going on there. Maddon would be well advised to consider this for the future.
Another observation: the umpiring in this series has been pretty strange. OK, the Contreras play in Game 2 hinged on a peculiar interpretation of a rather vague rule about catchers blocking home plate. However, the one Wednesday night does play up a pretty strange set of rules.
So, although one may appeal a hit by pitch ruling, one may not appeal a foul tip call even though they involve an almost identical set of observations. However, in this case, the Dodgers were permitted to overturn a decision based initially on the ruling of an umpire standing inches from the play in favor of an umpire standing more than a hundred feet away. Maddon got tossed again. He kept gesturing toward the giant left field scoreboard that clearly confirmed the original ruling. The umpires resolutely refused to look at it. Go figure. In the end, of course, it didn't matter, as Granderson struck out on the next pitch.
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