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A return to Cleveland was exactly what the Cubs needed. With the series now even at three games apiece, we’re left with a deciding Game 7. With everything on the line for both teams, everyone will be available. After all, they’ll have a whole offseason to rest.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
The Indians are home for this do-or-die Game 7, but the Cubs have won two of the three games in Cleveland in this series.
The Cubs’ bats have also started to come alive. Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist and Addison Russell all had multi-hit games with Russell driving in six in Game 6. Bryant collected four hits, Rizzo had three.
The bats of Rizzo and Bryant heating up are exceptionally crucial as it’s this duo that’s carried this team offensively all season long. Both have heated up in the last couple games.
An important note is that the Cubs grabbed an easy three game lead in the first inning and then cruised to the win. Can Chicago get out quickly again on Wednesday? They’ll need to given what lies ahead of them in the back of the bullpen.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
With it all coming down to one game, the Indians have the right man lined up to take the mound: Corey Kluber. The only problem is this will be his second straight start on short rest and the third time the Cubs will have seen him this series.
The Cubs, meanwhile, have more depth in their rotation and will turn to a man that led the NL in ERA during the regular season. He’ll be pitching with regular rest and for just the second time this season.
Short rest didn’t hurt Kluber in Game 4. After tossing six scoreless in Game 1, he came back with six innings of one-run ball. He’s got a pair of wins and a 0.75 ERA in 12 World Series innings. More than that, he’s owned the entire playoffs. In five starts, Kluber is 4-1 with a 0.89 ERA and 0.989 WHIP in 30.1 innings. He’s given up just three runs; all three were on short rest.
While the 30-year old Indians’ hurler has dominated his first taste of the postseason, it’s not completely out of character. The right-hander was 18-9 in the regular season with a 3.14 ERA and he led the AL in ERA+ and FIP.
On the other side, Hendricks broke out in the regular season and while he had a rough ALCS start to kick off this postseason for the right-hander, he rebounded nicely. In his two starts in the NLCS he held the Dodgers to a single runs in 12.2 innings of work. In his Game 3 start of this World Series, the NL Cy Young Award candidate pitched only 4.1 innings, but he held Cleveland scoreless despite walking a tight-rope with six hits and a pair of walks.
The Cubs will need Hendricks to pitch better—or at least longer—than that on Wednesday; though Maddon will have Jon Lester at his disposal out of the pen.
LIVE BETTING
The bullpens continue to be the focal point. We know how good the Indians are in the back. As long as Cleveland gets five or six strong innings from Kluber, they’re golden with Bryan Shaw, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen all rested. That’s the silver lining in a large, early deficit: Terry Francona could save the big guns for Game 7.
Of course, on the other side of the field, the Cubs weren’t able to avoid using Aroldis Chapman, but he did go just 20 pitches so he should still be able to give Chicago an inning or two. Outside of him, the Cubbies will have Jon Lester as a reliable arm in the pen. There’s been much made of his availability, but can he be counted on given his trouble holding runners?
The edge in the bullpens still goes to Cleveland even with Lester in the picture. He’s pitched well against Cleveland, but the bullpen is an unfamiliar role for the southpaw.
This game comes down to what the bats can do in the first six or seven frames. We know what the Cubs can do and saw that on display early on Tuesday, but they’ll contend with Kluber and haven’t shown an ability to do much against him. The Indians, however, when the pitching has given them a chance have found a multitude of ways to score just enough.
QUICK PICK
We have two of the game’s best managers matching up with two extremely talented rosters.
When you break it down, you have to give the Cubs’ offense the edge, but the Indians have been able to score when given the chance and when the pitchers have kept the team in the game. Chicago’s young bats are swinging well after Game 6 and that could be dangerous for the Indians.
On the mound, the Tribe has a lights out Kluber and then a parade of bullpen aces behind him.
Look for a very close game and what more could you want in a Game 7?
At the end of the day, take the Indians to be the team to end their long World Series draught with their first title in 68 years.
In the postseason, we’ve generally seen good pitching beat good hitting and that’s what you can bank on again in Game 7. The Cubs’ offense has been too consistent to expect them to have another game like Tuesday and break through against Kluber, Miller or Allen.
MLB Odds: Indians 4, Cubs 3
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