The Cubs earned home-field advantage in the playoffs last season by winning a league-best 97 games.
But Wrigley Field did not prove to be an advantage as the Cubs were swept in the first round for the second straight year.
Dodgers manager Joe Torre and former Dodgers starter Derek Lowe believe the Cubs wilted under the pressure to satisfy their long-suffering fans. Torre told reporters last week in Glendale, Ariz., that his team benefited from being an underdog against the Cubs. Lowe, who beat the Cubs in Game 1 at Wrigley Field, concurred.
Lowe, now a member of the Atlanta Braves after signing a four-year, $60 million free-agent deal, outpitched Ryan Dempster.
“I don’t think people realize how hard it is to break a curse, especially when it’s 100 years,” Lowe said following a recent workout at the Braves’ spring training facility. “The Cubs are such a storied franchise and they put together a quality team. [But] any time you’re playing a team that hasn’t won in a long time — and I was part of that in Boston [in 2004] where it had been 86 years — a lot of pressure comes from that.
“Last year, particularly the way the Cubs had played the regular season, I can see where [Torre] is coming from.”
Dempster had been unbeatable at Wrigley during the regular season, but he walked seven batters in 42/3 innings in Game 1 and gave up a grand slam to James Loney. Lowe pitched six strong innings, then turned it over to the bullpen as the Dodgers seized momentum. Strong pitching was key.
“Especially in a short series,” Lowe said. “[Mark] DeRosa hit a two-run home run off me and they’re up 2-0. Then all of a sudden, Loney hit a [grand slam] and we’re only up two runs and the place is completely, dead silent.
“We got clutch hitting with Loney’s home run and Manny [Ramirez] being Manny. And then the Cubs made a lot of uncharacteristic errors in Game 2. Crazy things happen when people are trying to break curses.”
Overheard: Braves manager Bobby Cox knows a little bit about guiding teams to outstanding regular-season records before falling short in the playoffs. He has won 14 division titles with the Braves, but just one World Series, in 1995. What advice does he give the Cubs and manager Lou Piniella after their disappointing 2008 postseason?
“There is no advice, no approach,” Cox said. “If [the Cubs] had hit a little better in a game or two, they probably win. You never know. You’re always facing good pitching, and if you get a little bit cold, you’re out. As Joe Torre said, ‘It’s a crapshoot.’
“You have to be proud of what you did [in the regular season]. If they had played another round, they might have swept everybody. But I don’t care what you have … hitting, pitching … if the ball doesn’t bounce your way for a short series, you’re done.”
Word on the street: The Braves are interested in signing future Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., who played the last few months of last season with the White Sox. “I have known Kenny since he was a little kid — I saw him in high school,” Cox said. “And we had no chance of getting him. I just wanted to see what the best player in the nation looks like. And he was the best player in the nation. The reports I’ve been getting now are that he’s pretty darn healthy.”
Local attractions: Notre Dame High School will honor Blackhawks President John McDonough, a 1971 alum, on Friday during halftime of the varsity basketball game against Joliet Catholic. … The Feb. 9 Comcast SportsNet Sports Award dinner raised $450,000 for the March of Dimes.
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fmitchell@tribune.com
