The Cubs are going to have to hit their way out of a pitching mismatch, John Gibbons' bullpen management is under scrutiny, and who the heck is Daniel Murphy?
There is no time in baseball more bedeviled by cliche and hollow commentary than the playoffs. The concentration on just four teams, coupled with small sample sizes in all directions, and the toll taken by the long season all play a part in creating an environment ripe for the undoing of expectations. Witness the events of the past 10 days. David Price and Josh Donaldson look truly vulnerable, whereas Edinson Volquez is suddenly a flamethrowing ace and rookie Kyle Schwarber is destroying baseballs.