The Chicago Cubs have the momentum. The team has won two games in a row as their offense has been exploding at the plate. The return home to Wrigley Field proved to be a happy place for the team as they took a 2-1 lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS. If the Cubs are going to take a dominating 3-1 lead over their National League opponents they will have to do it with pitchers on short rest and injuries stacking up.
The Cubs will be without Addison Russell at the start of Game 4 as the short stop deals with a hamstring injury. The young star left Game 3 with the injury after hitting a triple in the fourth inning. He has been dealing with hamstring issues for most of the season, but the Cubs are going to hold him out of the starting lineup. In his place, Javier Baez is expected to take over the position while batting ninth for the team. If things are struggling, Russell will return.
Chicago is putting up Jason Hammel on the mound in hopes that he can get his postseason moving in a better direction. The pitcher is 0-1 with a 4.80 ERA in three playoff starts. He went 10-7 with a 3.74 ERA this season while going 1-1 with a 5.73 ER against the Cardinals. He will not have to face Yadier Molina who is expected to miss the game due to an aggravated strain in his left thumb.
John Lackey will battle Hammel on the other side. The Cardinals are pitching Lackey on just three days of rest as they are desperate for a win. The pitcher is fresh off a win in the series opener where he pitched 7 1/3 innings and gave up just two hits. He is currently 3-0 with a 0.93 ERA against the Cubs this season and now he is trying to save St. Louis from elimination. Lackey has been in this position before. The pitcher is 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA in four postseason starts on short rest. The Cubs are hopeful he can pull off the magic again.
