Gäste Forum » Dodgers ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw still is not

SAN FRANCISCO -- Kris Bryant tossed his glove high in the air, Jake Arrieta jumped over the dugout railing and the rest of the Chicago Cubs rushed to join the celebration.Pure revelry and a sigh of relief, all at once.World Series favorites since Opening Day, the Cubs took another step in their championship chase Tuesday night by rallying for four runs in the ninth inning of Game 4 to beat the?San Francisco Giants?6-5 and win their National League Division Series.You could see it coming. You could see little signs. Weve done it before, and the guys, we dont quit, Cubs center fielder Dexter Fowler said. Its a little more special doing it here. They for sure were thinking that they won it. But we play 27 outs and we dont give up until we win.Javier Baezs tiebreaking single capped the comeback against a beleaguered bullpen that sabotaged the Giants one last time.Four wins from their first pennant since 1945, the Cubs will open the NL Championship Series on Saturday at Wrigley Field against the Los Angeles Dodgers or Washington Nationals. That matchup is tied 2-all heading into the deciding Game 5 on Thursday.Before that, the team with the best regular-season record (103-58) in the majors this year will get a few days of rest. Chicago was swept by the New York Mets in the NLCS last year and is still seeking its first World Series title since 1908.Expectations is a good word. Because normally it means that you have something good attached to it at the other side, manager Joe Maddon said.And after finishing off the resilient Giants, the Cubs should have their rotation all lined up for the NLCS.Pressure, expectations -- I want our guys to thrive on those two words for the years to come. I want the organization to. In the end, that means theres a lot expected of you. Good. There should be. We should all have a lot expected of us, Maddon added. So all those things I want to have us channel in a positive direction.Held to two hits over eight innings by Matt Moore, the Cubs trailed 5-2 heading to the ninth.No matter. One big rally ended San Franciscos 10-game winning streak when facing postseason elimination.Pinch hitter Willson Contreras tied it with a two-run single with none out. Baez singled in the go-ahead run two batters later, and the Cubs capitalized on Gold Glove shortstop Brandon Crawfords second costly error and more untimely blunders by the Giants once-reliable relief staff.One day after getting tagged in the eighth inning, Aroldis Chapman closed this one out by striking out the side in order. When he set down Brandon Belt to end it, Chapmans teammates rushed to the mound to hug him and begin their celebration.Maddon has his confident, power-hitting Cubs on an October roll. They already beat All-Star Johnny Cueto and ex-Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija, then waited until Moores stellar outing was done to pounce.With this team, the big thing is we never give up, we never quit, said lefty Jon Lester, who figures to start the NLCS opener. We always feel like we have a chance, whether its the first inning or the ninth inning.Soon-to-retire David Ross homered to start the third, hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth and threw out Denard Span trying to steal.Downright unflappable for years in these pressure-packed situations, the Giants won World Series championships in 2010, 12 and 14. This was the clubs first postseason series defeat in the past 12.We dont think were going to win the World Series every even year. I mean, it took 50-something years to get one here, quipped manager Bruce Bochy, whose bullpen management was scrutinized throughout a disappointing second half.The orange towel-waving sellout crowd of 43,166, perhaps spoiled this decade by the every-other-year title success, had been counting on a few more games by the bay this October.Moore, acquired from Tampa Bay at the Aug. 1 trade deadline for games of this magnitude, struck out 10 as his former Rays manager -- Maddon -- watched from the other dugout.Long after Cubs starter John Lackeys night was done with just four innings, Hector Rondon pitched the eighth for the win.WHAT CURSE?Lester doesnt buy all the superstition surrounding Chicagos championship drought.Nobody really cares in there about a curse or a goat or anything else, he said. If we make a mistake, were not going to blame it on a curse or anything else like that. Were going to blame it on ourselves and be accountable for it and move on to the next play or the next moment. ... Weve got too many young guys in there that dont even know what that stuff is, you know what I mean? So, its almost better to play naive and just go out and worry about us, worry about the Cubs and not anything else in the past or, like I said, any animals.POWER PITCHERSTwo pitchers homered for the Cubs in the series: Arrieta on Monday and reliever Travis Wood in Game 2. The 1924 New York Giants were the only other team to have two pitchers go deep in a postseason series, according to ESPN Stats & Info.Thats pretty incredible, isnt it? Maddon said.GIANTS INJURIESLeft fielder Angel Pagan missed his second straight start with back spasms, and third baseman Eduardo Nunezs strained right hamstring is still slow to heal, leaving the Giants to contemplate replacing one on the roster. But no move was made before the game.CRAWFORDS MISCUESThe shortstop was the first Giants player to commit two errors in a postseason game since Don Mueller on Sept. 29, 1954, in Game 1 of the World Series. Ben Zobrist Cubs Jersey . Ancelotti says Ronaldo has recovered from a hamstring injury but "but he doesnt feel comfortable yet so we wont risk him." Madrid is third in the Spanish league, six points behind leader Barcelona, going into Saturdays game against Valladolid. Anthony Rizzo Cubs Jersey . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. http://www.cubsauthentic.com/cubs-kendall-graveman-jersey/ . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. Steve Cishek Jersey . A big centre with all the tools to be an elite player, Johansen paced the Blue Jackets with a standout game Saturday night. He had a goal and two assists for a career-high three points as Columbus beat the New York Islanders 5-2 to snap a five-game losing streak. Jose Quintana Cubs Jersey . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. LOS ANGELES -- Five weeks after he last started a major league game, Los Angeles Dodgers ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw still is not participating in baseball activities.Kershaw said Tuesday that he intends to pitch again this season as he tries to recover from a herniated disk in his lower back, but no timetable for his return has been set.Hes just doing core work, the back, strengthening, manager Dave Roberts said. He hasnt picked up a baseball yet. Hopefully sooner than later, but no baseball activities.Kershaw did throw in a simulated game just after the All-Star break concluded, but a setback with his back injury shut him down again. Just two months of the season remain, and Kershaw will first have to stretch out his arm and build up to handle a starters workload.While the Dodgers didnt think Kershaw would need a minor league rehab assignment before his setback, it seems obvious that he will now need some rehab games under his belt. TThat will delay his return to the Dodgers even further.dddddddddddd think it is on the horizon, but I just dont know how close, Roberts said when asked about Kershaws return to throwing. Obviously the sooner the better, but with Clayton, we dont have to worry about the effort and the focus. When it happens, well find out, but there is no timeline for us.Kershaws goal is to not only return but to have an impact for the team this season.Its just hard not to pitch; thats what I love to do, Kershaw said earlier this week. You realize how much you love the game when youre away from it and how much you take it for granted. I learned that. Being healthy is something that really is a blessing. Its something that you really cant take for granted. Its hard to be away but I understand, and Im just trying to be patient. ' ' '