The Cubs enter the postseason as favorites to win it all for the first time in many lifetimes. Here are 5 reasons why they will have a successful first step towards that elusive title.
The Chicago Cubs enter the postseason as the top seed in the National League playoffs. For as long as they stay alive, the postseason will start, and potentially end, at Wrigley Field. Joe Maddon’s club has delivered on the sizeable promise that they began to drum up around this time last year, when they resoundingly ousted the top seed in last year’s postseason, the St. Louis Cardinals.
Now a year later they enter the playoffs in the same position as their chief rivals did a year ago, and are tasked with facing a team that reached the postseason in the same fashion as they did during that run as well: the San Francisco Giants.
Here are a few reasons why the Cubs can meet the challenge.
1. Lester & Hendricks love Wrigley Field
The Cubs have been baseball’s best record on their home grass, winning 57 games during the regular season. Against the Giants specifically this year, they were impressive in their matchup at Wrigley this season, taking three out of four games in early September.
Much of this success at home has come due to the regularly tremendous outings by their game 1 and 2 starters, Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks. Wrigley has been tremendous kind to the pair of Cy Young Award contenders, as they have combined to go 19-4 on the year at home, with a collective 1.52 ERA over nearly 200 innings. That is a formidable rap sheet to confront for the Giants, who could also see Lester in a potential Game 5 scenario as well.
It is also where the dynamics of how the division series seriously favors the home team as well. Even if the Cubs do falter in San Francisco (where they dropped two of three contests in May), they could still move on simply by defending their own turf.
This will provide for very favorable conditions for the Cubs, who will be fueled by a surefire white hot crowd, looking to finally see their thirst for World Series play be quenched, playing a vital role as well.