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Funda-MENTAL Differences
Cubs poor fielding failed Carlos Zambrano and the Cub faithful. | AP Photo by M. Spencer Green
There was lots of speculation that the Dodgers would be merely a bump in the road for the Chicago Cubs, owners of the best record in the National League. A lot of people wrote off the Dodgers because of the weak NL West. So to some people the fact that the Dodgers are leading the NLDS two games to none might be a surprise. More of a surprise is just how different the mindset between the two teams are. Last night's 10-3 smacking, which wasn't even that close, just illustrates where the two teams are mentally.
With Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano coming out firing fastballs and strikes, Dodger skipper Joe Torre made a shrewd and cunning move early. Thinking that it was going to be a close game, with a runner on first, he puts on the hit-and-run with James Loney. It worked to perfection with the poke going past the covering Cub infielder Ryan Theriot allowing Andre Ethier to get to third. Runners on the corners, no outs.
In that same inning, more mental mistakes for the Cubs. With one out, and runners still on the corners, Blake DeWitt hits a made-to-order double play grounder to Mark DeRosa... who promptly botched it allowing Ethier to score and keeping Loney safe on second. Later that same inning, Rafael Furcal, completely on his own, lays down a bunt to score Loney and load the bases up for Russel Martin who quickly cleared them with a double. Two innings, 5 runs by the Dodgers. Two COSTLY errors by the Cubs.
After that, Manny Ramirez added to his record by hitting his 26th postseason homer. Chad Billingley, bolstered by the fact he was working with a five run cushion, went on to pitch 6 2/3 insanely strong innings, giving up only one earned run and striking out seven. And the bullpen, Takashi Saito's problems aside, closed the door on the Cubs.
The crowd at Wrigley, who was in a frenzy up until that telling second inning, was never in it after that. Perhaps the weight of what was happening before their eyes, AGAIN, was trying on their minds. The Cubs, owners of the best record in the National League were getting done in by a lowly NL West team. They have now lost 5 straight playoff games under Manager Lou Piniella while the Dodgers have won consecutive playoff games for the first time in twenty years.
Coming back from being down 0-2 isn't unheard of in the playoffs. But with the way the Dodgers are playing, and more importantly the way the Cubs are playing, it looks very unlikely that their 100 year wait for a World Series will be ending anytime soon.