Last year in the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cubs went 21 consecutive innings without scoring a run, tossing up goose eggs from Game 2 until breaking out with a four-run fourth inning in Game 4. On Saturday, the Cubs offense reached 18 consecutive scoreless innings against Los Angeles, falling 5-0 in an all-around mediocre performance.
The offensive inconsistency has resulted in some minor changes, though not really related to Saturday’s stinker. The patience for Kyle Schwarber’s struggles vs. left-handers finally reached a climax. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported that Cubs manager Joe Maddon, when asked if Schwarber is a platoon player right now, said, “If people want to say that, I can’t avoid it.