Otto: 3 key questions as Cubs, Giants prepare for Game 3
Q. The Cubs got stellar performances from Jon Lester in Game 1, and the bullpen in Game 2. What impressed you the most?
A. After watching Lester deal this year, nothing he does surprises me. He is so consistent with all of his pitches. Whether it is his cut fastball, breaking ball, or changeup, I sense that he has a ton of confidence in throwing any pitch on any count in any situation.
I was impressed by how he navigated through the first four innings, and how he handled it with baserunners to start off the first three innings.
As for the bullpen, Aroldis Chapman and Hector Rondon had their typical stuff, and I was really impressed with how poised Carl Edwards Jr. looked in his first taste of October baseball.
Q. What can the Cubs do to keep Madison Bumgarner from taking momentum back?
A. Momentum in these short series begins with the starting pitching. So the easy answer is to have Jake Arrieta match him pitch for pitch. Bumgarner has been in a few more playoff games than Arrieta, but Jake can draw from his experiences last year, like the way he threw against the Pirates in the wild-card game.
Bumgarner is doubly tough on left-handed hitters and Joe Maddon is fortunate that he can stack his lineup with many right-handed hitters.
Maddon's biggest lineup decision will be whether Jorge Soler gets the start in left field, or Ben Zobrist stays in left, or he pulls a wild card and starts Willson Contreras there.
All three are good options. Zobrist has hit Bumgarner well in the past, and Contreras has 2 hits in 3 at-bats against "MadBum". Soler has the ability to hit one out, and if there is one weakness in Bumgarner's game is that he is prone to the home run (26 this season).
With more ground to cover in left at AT&T park than Wrigley, Albert Almora can be a late-inning replacement.
Q. How do Bumgarner and Jake Arrieta attack hitters? What makes them so good?
A. Arrieta has struggled at times this year with his command, but I expect him to get ahead tonight with his fastball and then widen the strike zone once ahead in the count.
Madison goes right at hitters with his fastball, and is able to flip up his breaking ball for strikes at any time. He has the get-ahead breaking ball when he is behind in the count, and then has the nasty one when he has two strikes on hitters.
Both of them are difficult for hitters to pick up. Bumgarner's pitches come from such a low arm slot that hitters aren't accustomed to seeing the ball from that angle. Arrieta throws across his body, landing toward the third-base side, which gives him an advantage as the hitter doesn't get a good look until late.
• Dave Otto, a standout athlete at Elk Grove High School, pitched from 1987-1994 for four MLB teams, including the Cubs. A former baseball analyst for WGN Radio, FoxSportsNet and Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Otto also is a member of the University of Missouri Hall of Fame.