Game 2: Cubs have no answers for Kershaw, Dodgers
In case you were wondering how Clayton Kershaw would fare in Sunday night's start against the Chicago Cubs, the answer is very well.
Kershaw, the ace of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching staff and perhaps the best starter in the game, was coming off a closing performance in last Thursday's division series victory over the Washington Nationals. He started Game 4 of that series in Los Angeles and earned the save in Game 5.
Kershaw came out firing against the Cubs, tossing perfect baseball until Javier Baez singled with two outs in the fifth inning.
By that point, the Dodgers had a 1-0 lead, thanks to a leadoff home run in the second inning by Adrian Gonzalez off Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks. The game ended that way, and the teams will go to Dodger Stadium tied at one game apiece heading into Tuesday night's third game.
"Hitting his spots," Baez said, summing up Kershaw. "We knew he was going to pitch to us in. We just chased a lot of pitches. I honestly thought with him pitching with a couple days rest he wasn't going to be that nasty, but obviously, he came ready for us. He just did his job."
Kershaw was 12-4 with a 1.69 ERA during the regular season. He was on the disabled list from June 27-Sept. 9 with a mild herniated disc in his lower back. Against the Cubs, he wound up throwing 7 innings of 2-hit ball, with Kenley Jansen picking up a 2-inning save.
Hendricks worked 5⅓ innings giving up 3 hits. His command was a touch off, and he was up against a true ace.
"With that guy going on the other side, that's what you have to expect going into a game like that," Hendricks said. "I wasn't sharp, really. My fastball command wasn't great, but I battled through it. I really didn't miss over the plate with much. So that was good. I didn't give in. I didn't get deep into the game like I wanted to but at least kept us in the game. It was one swing away."
Getting that one swing has been a problem for several key Cubs, even if this is the playoffs and the pitching is tighter.
Anthony Rizzo was 0-for-3 with a walk. He is 1-for-23 in the postseason. Addison Russell also was 0-for-3. He is 1-for-22 in the playoffs. Jason Heyward, dropped to the No. 8 spot in the order, was 0-for-3 and his now 2-for-18.
"I feel everyone's grinding," Rizzo said. "Guys took good swings. We were just missing the ball. That's just the way the game goes sometimes. We realize we just faced the best pitcher on the planet."
The Dodgers got the early homer when Gonzalez went to the opposite field in left-center on a 1-0 pitch from Hendricks.
Once again, Baez sparkled for the Cubs on defense. In the sixth, Gonzalez walked and Josh Reddick singed with one out. Maddon replaced Hendricks with right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. to face the let-handed hitting Joc Pederson.
Pederson hit a soft liner toward Baez at second base. Baez alertly let the ball drop and threw to second base to force Reddick. The Cubs then tagged out Gonzalez in a rundown.
"As soon as the ball was hit, both of the runners went back (toward their bases)," Baez said. "I saw Pederson running down the line. I had to get one. Gonzalez came back to the bag, and I was just telling Addy (shortstop Addison Russell), 'Go three, go three, go three.'"
The Cubs had a glimmer of hope against Kershaw in the seventh. Rizzo walked to lead off. The Cubs caught a break when catcher Yasmani Grandal dropped Ben Zobrist's foul popup behind home plate.
Zobrist could not capitalize, as he struck out. Russell flied out to left. Baez came up and lined out to the warning track in center field.
"You're so used to watching a ball come off the bat, you knew it was just not far enough," said Cubs manager Joe Maddon. "You just knew it. It was hit well, then immediately you look at the outfielder and you look at the wind and you know that all inn advance. He had great at-bats. He played another excellent game."
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