Hernandez belts 3 HRs; Dodgers win NL pennant

CHICAGO -- By the time Enrique Hernandez stepped to the plate in the ninth inning on Thursday night, Game 5 of the National League Championship Series was already a blur.

By the time the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated in a champagne-soaked room after clinching their first pennant since 1988, Hernandez -- who had sparked an 11-1 victory over the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs with three home runs -- was still foggy on the details on how the Dodgers had arrived in their celebratory moment.

Hernandez, whose three homers included a grand slam, drove in seven runs, providing Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw with more than enough offensive support to land Los Angeles in the World Series for the first time in 29 years.

"It's unbelievable," Hernandez said. "It's amazing."

Los Angeles closed out the NL Championship Series in five games. The Dodgers will face either the New York Yankees or Houston Astros in the World Series, with Game 1 scheduled for Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.

Staked to an early comfortable lead, Kershaw (1-0) allowed one run, three hits and a walk while striking out five in six innings.

Hernandez capped the scoring in the ninth inning with a two-run blast as the Los Angeles left fielder tied a league championship series record with his seven RBIs.

"Tonight was his night to shine, and Clayton started the night and throwing a gem," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "For him to start and pitch the way he did, and for (Hernandez) to have a huge night -- three homers tonight -- just providing so much energy for us, and we fed off that tonight."

The Dodgers scored first for the first time in the series and jumped out to a 9-0 lead after three innings. Hernandez followed up his second-inning solo home run with a grand slam in the third after the Dodgers loaded the bases off Cubs starter Jose Quintana with four straight hits.

After Quintana was lifted in the third, reliever Hector Rondon struck out Logan Forsythe for the first out of the inning. Hernandez then lifted his second homer of the night into the basket above the right field wall to break the game open.

Justin Turner, who was named NLCS co-most valuable player along with Chris Taylor, also had an RBI single in the inning.

"It's a different guy every single night," Turner said of the multiple contributions the Dodgers got offensively. "Literally, (it's) a different guy in the lineup making that big swing."

Quintana surrendered six runs on six hits in two-plus innings. He walked one and fanned one as the Cubs' season ended in the NLCS for the second time in three years.

"We started out with a target on our back last year...but we were able to go through the whole thing," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "(We) got the World Series under our belt. (We) came back this year and (were) met with some kind of mental adversity is the best way I could describe it. It's baseball adversity.

"I thought we did a great job of overcoming."

The Dodgers padded their lead in the fourth on Forsythe's two-run double off John Lackey.

Kris Bryant finally got the Cubs on the board in the fourth inning when he homered after Kershaw had held Chicago without a hit for 3 1/3 innings.

By then, the Dodgers had built too great of a cushion and never relented until closer Kenley Jansen closed out the win in the ninth with the Dodgers leading by 10 runs. A short time later, the Dodgers celebrated their World Series return after winning for the seventh time in eight games in the postseason.

"We have four more wins to go," Kershaw said. "But we've heard 1988 for so long in L.A., it feels good to say that we're getting to go to the World Series in 2017."

NOTES: Dodgers 3B Justin Turner extended his postseason streak of reaching safely to eight games with a RBI single in the second inning. Turner reached safely in 23 of his past 24 postseason games since Oct. 9, 2015. ... Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw earned his sixth career postseason victory, which tied Burt Hooton for the most in franchise history. ... Cubs president Theo Epstein defended manager Joe Maddon, who was taking heat for some of his decision-making in managing the bullpen during the NLCS. "It's not manager against manager," Epstein said before Thursday's game. "That stuff just gets under the microscope so much this time of year. It's (about) players performing." ... Former Cubs catcher David Ross, who was a member of the 2016 World Series championship team, threw out the ceremonial first pitch Thursday.

Cubs’ Maddon tossed again in NLCS; ump admits he missed call

By JIM LITKE
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs manager Joe Maddon turned out to be right. Even the umpire said so, later.

Maddon’s prize? He got ejected for the second time in the NL Championship Series.

At least he’ll get one more day in the dugout. Chicago reliever Wade Davis struck out Curtis Granderson on the next pitch after the disputed call and the Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 Wednesday night in Game 4 to avoid a sweep.

Maddon lost his argument in the eighth inning over what was originally ruled a swinging strikeout of Granderson. That call was changed to a foul tip after Granderson objected and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts asked the umpires to confer on the field.

Under Major League Baseball rules, the play was not subject to video review.

“After looking at it (on replay afterward), I was dead wrong,” plate umpire Jim Wolf said. “I talked myself into the whole thing.”

Maddon said afterward, “If Granderson hit the next pitch out, I might come running out of the clubhouse in my jockstrap. It was really that bad.”

Wolf — the brother of former big league pitcher Randy Wolf — said afterward he heard “two distinct, separate sounds” on the pitch, believing the first to be the pitch bouncing in the dirt and the second being the pop of the catcher’s mitt. After Roberts appealed and Wolf gathered his crew, he was told by his fellow umps “that the ball did not bounce — it did hit the ground but it did not bounce.”

“I basically talked myself into ‘he did foul tip it,’” Wolf said.

Maddon didn’t buy the “two sounds” explanation at the moment and roared at several members of the crew. He wasn’t buying it afterward, either.

“I’m not going to sit here and bang on umpires. I love a lot of guys on this crew. I’ve know them a long time. But that can’t happen,” he said.

“The process was horrible. ... You have 40-some thousand people, it’s late in the game. The other sound could have come from some lady screaming in the first row.”

Maddon was ejected in Game 1 at Dodger Stadium after a call at home plate was overturned because of the slide rule. He basically acknowledged he was trying to get himself tossed this time around.

After poking more holes in the “two sounds” explanation, he said, “There is no way, no way I’m not getting ejected at that point. I’ve got make my point. Just being honest,” he added.

Crew chief Mike Winters confirmed Maddon had something to say “to everybody, because at that point, the process didn’t matter to him. It just mattered that it didn’t go his way.

“We were trying to calm him down and we tried not to eject him, but he made that impossible,” he said.

Baez bashes two homers as Cubs stay alive

CHICAGO -- Wade Davis peered toward home plate and prepared to throw his 48th and most important pitch of the game Wednesday night.

With a runner on first base, Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger represented the winning run at the plate. Justin Turner and his imposing bat waited on deck.

The Chicago closer unleashed a 92 mph four-seam fastball. It saved both the game and the season for the Cubs, as Bellinger grounded into a game-ending double play.

Chicago held on for a 3-2 win over the Dodgers to stave off elimination in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. Javier Baez hit two home runs and Willson Contreras homered once for the Cubs, who trimmed their series deficit to 3-1.

Game 5 is scheduled for Thursday night at Wrigley Field.

"Great to have this win," said Baez, the second baseman who fielded Bellinger's grounder and whipped a throw to shortstop Addison Russell to start the double play. "Because, if not, we were going home."

Chicago improved to 11-15 when facing elimination.

"I want there to be pressure," said Cubs manager Joe Maddon, who was ejected in the eighth inning for arguing a foul-tip call. "I want there to be a carrot at the end of the stick. I want all of that."

Bellinger and Turner each hit solo home runs for the Dodgers. The defeat snapped a six-game postseason win streak for Los Angeles, which remains one victory shy of reaching the World Series for the first time since 1988.

"We don't expect anyone to lay down," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "It's a very talented group. They're the world champs, and you know they're going to fight to the end. So today, they did.

"We got beat today. And I think the thing is, you can't win them all."

Right-hander Jake Arrieta (1-0) battled into the seventh inning in what might have been his final game with the Cubs. The soon-to-be free agent allowed one run on three hits in 6 2/3 innings. He walked five and struck out nine.

Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood (0-1) allowed three solo home runs and a single in 4 2/3 innings in his first career postseason start. He walked none and struck out seven.

Davis posted the highest pitch count of his career, in the regular season or postseason, among games in which he earned a save. He allowed a home run to Turner to lead off the eighth and pitched around three walks to record the final six outs.

A bizarre sequence in the eighth as Dodgers center fielder Curtis Granderson appeared to swing and miss at strike three. After plate umpire Jim Wolf conferred with the other umpires, the call was overturned and ruled a foul tip.

Maddon was ejected after a vehement argument with replays being displayed on the video board showing that Granderson did not make contact. Davis officially struck out Granderson on the next pitch, and he also struck out Chase Utley to escape the jam.

"That can't happen," Maddon said. "The process was horrible. ... If Granderson hits the next pitch out, I might come running out of the clubhouse in my jockstrap."

Chicago jumped to a 2-0 lead in the second behind solo home runs from Contreras and Baez.

Contreras stood to admire his monster shot, which traveled an estimated 491 feet and slammed off the video board in left field. Baez pulled a towering blast just inside the left field foul pole.

Los Angeles cut the deficit to 2-1 in the following inning on Bellinger's line-drive shot down the right field line. The homer was Bellinger's first of the series and second of the postseason.

Baez homered again in the fifth to increase Chicago's lead to 3-1. He clubbed a low pitch into the first row of the left field bleachers for the first multi-homer postseason game of his career.

Baez became the fifth Cubs player to homer twice in a playoff game. The last player to do so was Aramis Ramirez in Game 4 of the 2003 NLCS.

"Tonight, I just said to myself not to try too much, and I didn't," Baez said. "And there you have it."

NOTES: Cubs 2B Javier Baez entered the night in an 0-for-20 postseason skid. ... Dodgers OF Yasiel Puig hit safely for the fifth time in seven postseason games. ... Cubs OF Albert Almora Jr. batted in the leadoff spot for the first time in the series and went 1-for-4. ... Dodgers C Yasmani Grandal made his series debut and went 0-for-1 with three walks. ... Cubs C Willson Contreras and Dodgers 3B Justin Turner became the third and fourth players to homer off the left field video board in 2017.

A year after 1st title since 1908, Cubs trail Dodgers 3-0

By ANDREW SELIGMAN
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Schwarber had fans roaring, thinking the Chicago Cubs just might be ready to tighten the NL Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Turns out, his home run in the first inning was about all they had to cheer.

Yu Darvish shut down Chicago after Schwarber went deep, putting the Cubs on the verge of being swept in the NLCS for the second time in three years after Tuesday’s night’s 6-1 loss.

After knocking out Los Angeles last fall on the way to their first World Series championship since consecutive titles in 1907 and 1908, hopes of another parade are just about dashed.

“Tomorrow is a Game 7. We have three or four Game 7s in a row coming up right now,” manager Joe Maddon said.

Jake Arrieta will try to keep the series going when he opposes Dodgers lefty Alex Wood on Wednesday night. Arrieta can become a free agent this winter, so it might be his final start for Chicago. And unless the Cubs get their offense and struggling bullpen in order, the season could come to a close.

Chicago has been in tough spots before, rallying from a 3-1 deficit to beat Cleveland in seven games for the World Series title last year. The Cubs also pulled out a wild victory at Washington in Game 5 of the Division Series this month after failing to close out the Nationals at Wrigley Field.

“I don’t think there’s any need to change anything,” said Kris Bryant, who had two hits after going 1 for 8 through the first two games of the series. “I think we can even play more loose because ... no one’s expecting us to come back except the guys in this room.”

It was Bryant who asked “why not us?” after the Cubs won Game 5 to send the 2016 World Series back to Cleveland and start their historic comeback. It will take another epic effort to knock off Los Angeles, particularly the way they are hitting.

The Cubs are batting .160 with four extra-base hits through three games.

“Of course we expected more,” Maddon said. “It’s somewhat surprising. I don’t want to use the word disappointing.”

Batting second, Schwarber hit an opposite-field drive to left-center for a 1-0 lead in the first.

“Hey, whenever you jump out to an early lead, you want that to be the momentum,” Schwarber said. “Any way that you can get the crowd into it — the players are enjoying it, I’m enjoying it, whatever it is — you want that to be momentum.”

Darvish took the Cubs and the crowd right out of it, holding Chicago to one run and six hits in 6 1/3 innings. Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks couldn’t match him.

The right-hander gave up four runs and six hits, including solo homers to Andre Ethier and Chris Taylor. It was his second straight shaky start after outpitching Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg in a dominant effort to win Game 1 of the NLDS.

Los Angeles led 3-1 with runners on first and second and none out in the sixth when Carl Edwards Jr. — erratic in the playoffs after a strong season — relieved Hendricks and walked Austin Barnes with one out. Joc Pederson flied out and Edwards walked Darvish on four pitches. After Taylor struck out to end the rally, boos came ringing from the Wrigley Field stands.

Struggling reliever Mike Montgomery gave up two more runs in the eighth. With runners on first and second, pinch-hitter Charlie Culberson struck out, only for the pitch to ricochet off catcher Willson Contreras’ arm for a passed ball that allowed Logan Forsythe to score. With runners at the corners, Kyle Farmer followed with a sacrifice fly.

“That’s a great ballclub over there,” Cubs shortstop Addison Russell said. “They’re doing things right.”

The Cubs could be on the way out, after barely squeezing past Washington. They experienced more drama on their way out west after that draining series.

Their cross-country flight to Los Angeles made an unscheduled stop in Albuquerque because Jose Quintana’s wife, Michel, experienced an irregular heartbeat. The team remained on the ground for five hours to change pilots.

Quintana joined his teammates in Los Angeles on Friday night and started Game 1 the following night.

The Cubs could be excused for feeling a bit drained. Though Schwarber shot down that idea, saying, “We’re not running out of gas at all,” Russell notices some signs of fatigue.

“I wouldn’t say we’re running out of gas,” he said. “I would just say some things here and there are a little bit fatigued. But we put the right guys out there every single day."