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Levine: Game 4 Key Is For John Lackey, Jason Hammel To Keep Ball In Yard

By Bruce Levine--

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Keeping the ball in the ballpark will be the key to victory for Cubs right-hander Jason Hammel and Cardinals right-hander John Lackey in Game 4 of the NLDS on Tuesday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Lackey was dominant in Game 1 of the series, leading St. Louis to a 4-0 win with 7 1/3 shutout innings on just 86 pitches. He'll be starting Game 4 on short rest, with only three days in between. Like Hammel's, his job will be to keep the ball out of the bleachers, one night after the Cardinals allowed the Cubs to hit an MLB-record six homers in a postseason game.

Hammel has had an up-and-down season. Cubs manager Joe Maddon has applied a short leash once he's elevated his pitches in the early or mid-innings, and Hammel was upset when Maddon started giving him the early hook in starts soon after the All-Star break.

Now, Hammel's keeping perspective.

"The bottom line is you are a part of winning on a winning team," Hammel said. "You check your ego at the door. Sometimes you feel you can go further. Joe and I addressed that a long time ago. We got to this point because of 25 guys and a few others who helped out this year. It's not my role to say what I can do. Obviously I feel I can (go deeper in games), but Joe is the manager for a reason."

The eight home runs hit in Game 3 are unlikely to be duplicated in Game 4. The winds are milder Tuesday, blowing from the west (left field to right field) as of early afternoon.

The Cubs lineup has been posted, with Javier Baez replacing the injured Addison Russell (hamstring) at shortstop. Baez bobbled one ball and threw a ball away after coming into the game Monday to replace Russell. That will be something to pay attention to because Baez saw limited action at shortstop since the minor league season ended about five weeks ago.

A fly ball pitcher, Hammel may be fine with colder conditions (it was 54 degrees around 12:30 Tuesday). The ballpark has been a plus for pitchers in April and May the last two seasons, when Wrigley Field plays as big as any park this side of Yosemite.

"I mean its the Windy City," Hammel said. "I am not a superstitious guy. I know most of the time you come here and check the flags for the wind. I could care less. I will not treat it any differently than any other start, wind blowing in or out."

The key for both pitchers is to get ground balls and pitch inside. The colder weather will make hitting a lot less comfortable, for the first time in months, for both lineups. The Cardinals will use all of their pitchers with the season on the brink. The Cubs' pitching will only exclude the use of Jon Lester, as he'll be the Game 5 starter, if necessary.

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.

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