LOS ANGELES -- Anthony Rizzos bat shattered into shards, and the ball trickled onto an empty patch of infield grass. The Chicago Cubs cleanup hitter scampered to first base in the ninth inning, getting just his second hit this postseason in Game 3 of the NL Championship Series.In an October of increasing offensive ineptitude, the powerful Cubs are looking for any kind of break to get them going.Thats the kind of hit that we needed, fellow slugger Kris Bryant said. Thats the hit that can spark a team.Except it didnt. This combustible offense remains quiet and cold -- and after a superlative regular season, the Cubs have been shut out in back-to-back playoff games.With its pitching staff again dominating one of baseballs best lineups, Los Angeles took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series with a 6-0 victory Tuesday night over Jake Arrieta and the Cubs.If the Cubs dont find their offense before they leave LA, the most infamous championship drought in sports will stretch into next year.Chicago had never been blanked in two straight playoff games before the Dodgers did it. Chicagos 18 consecutive scoreless innings comprise the longest drought in the teams postseason history, two more than the 1906 squad.This 103-win club spent exactly one day out of first place this season, but the Cubs are trailing in the NLCS because their hitters have been silenced ever since that five-run eighth inning in a Game 1 victory.I dont gamble, but I probably wouldnt have gambled on that one, Chicago catcher Miguel Montero said.Including a 1-0 loss in Game 2, Chicago is a collective 6 for 60 with one extra-base hit over the last two games. The Cubs hadnt been shut out since Aug. 28, but Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill did it with plenty of help from closer Kenley Jansen.This is highly unusual for the Cubs, who were third in the big leagues with 808 runs during the regular season. They had the majors second-best on-base percentage before the postseason, but baserunners have been scarce for most of their seven playoff games, and their team batting average is languishing below .200.Were not hitting the ball hard, manager Joe Maddon said. Theyve pitched well. Obviously, I have no solid explanation. Weve just got to keep working at it. ... There is really no excuse. We just have to pick it up quickly.Chicago hadnt been shut out in consecutive games since May 2014, but the Cubs never really threatened against Los Angeles -- and their best hitters realize they bear the responsibility.MVP candidate Rizzo (2 for 26), Addison Russell (1 for 24), Jason Heyward (2 for 19), Dexter Fowler (5 for 28) and Ben Zobrist (4 for 26) are all struggling mightily in the postseason. The middle of Chicagos lineup is particularly lacking, and Maddons adjustments havent helped.The Cubs were baffled by Hill, the 36-year-old journeyman who was playing independent ball just more than 14 months ago. Hill threw six innings of two-hit ball, and Arrieta couldnt keep up in his return to the stadium where he threw a no-hitter in August 2015.The 2015 Cy Young Award winner had a middling NLCS start for the second straight season, giving up four runs and six hits to the Dodgers over five-plus innings. Last October, he gave up four runs and four hits over five innings to the Mets in Game 2 of New Yorks sweep.Maddon dropped Heyward from the lineup for Game 3, but replacement Jorge Soler went hitless and made two misplays in right field, although neither cost the Cubs any runs. Heyward struck out on three pitches as a pinch hitter to end the seventh, taking a terrible swing on a down-and-in slider from Joe Blanton.Fowlers two-out double in the eighth off reliever Grant Dayton was the Cubs first extra-base hit since Game 1, but Jansen promptly struck out Bryant. After Rizzos shattered-bat single, Jansen calmly finished off the win.The playoffs always provide small sample sizes of teams woes, but California pitching has flummoxed the Cubs through seven games in October. They didnt hit much even in the Division Series against San Francisco, batting a collective .200 with a meager .247 on-base percentage while relying on pitchers at the plate for an alarmingly big chunk of their runs in that four-game series victory.Game 4 on Wednesday suddenly looms as pivotal for the Cubs, who had five two-game skids in the second half of the season, but havent lost three straight since early July.Youre playing against great teams at this time of year, Montero said. You just try to live in the moment. And maybe you have to have a better plan. Cheap Shoes Wholesale . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Cheap Shoes From China . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta. https://www.cheapshoesdiscount.com/ . Aaron Harrison scored a 22 points for Kentucky (6-1), which has won four in a row following a Nov. 12 loss to current No. 1 Michigan State. Julius Randle overcame a scoreless first half and added his sixth double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Cheap Shoes For Sale .5 seconds to play in the game, Kevin Love never stopped believing that they would come out of there with a win. Cheap Shoes Replica . They had already blown a double-digit lead, fans were hitting the exits, and a long seven-game road trip waited at the end. TORONTO -- The Toronto Raptors are hot, the Atlanta Hawks are not.The teams meet Saturday night at Air Canada Centre with the Raptors trying to extend their season-best five-game winning streak and the Hawks attempting to stop a five-game losing streak.The Raptors led all the way Friday night in defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 113-80 at the ACC and the Hawks lost to the Detroit Pistons 121-85 at Philips Arena.The Raptors (13-6) will be playing the fourth game of a season-long six-game homestand at the ACC, where they are 7-3 this season.The Hawks (10-10) have lost eight of their past nine games, with the only win coming Nov. 23 at Indiana to the Pacers.They were 9-2 and tied for the Eastern Conference lead after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 16.Dennis Schroder had 17 points and 13 assists for the Hawks on Friday. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Mike Muscala each scored 11.The Raptors likely will have forward DeMarre Carroll back in the lineup. His playing time is being monitored as he entered the season coming off knee surgery.Carroll was rested Friday night to avoid playing him in back-to-back games with Norman Powell replacing him and responding with 16 points and seven rebounds.It was not certain which game Carroll would miss.Powell said after the game that he found out during the shootaround on Friday.From there, it was just preparing and getting focused on who Im guarding and what the team wants me to do defensively to take them out of what they are trying to run, Powell said.Hed been a professional young man, Raptors coach Dwane Casey said after Fridays game. He puts the work in at game tempo, usually when guys are not playing they kind of go through the motions, feel sorry for themselves. But this young man coomes in every day, puts in the work, puts in the time, keeps a positive attitude, understands the situation when winning and is just waiting his turn.ddddddddddddJust like last year, he was in the D-League for a while and came in and helps us win a (playoff) series. He understands, a mature young man, and I cant say enough good things about him.He will understand if he does not start Saturday.In the Raptors romp past the Lakers, Kyle Lowry again led the way with 24 points. DeMar DeRozan had 16 points as he receives extra attention after a blistering start.Meanwhile, against the Pistons, Dwight Howard had his worst game with the Hawks, scoring only two points and grabbing six rebounds.Weve got to stay positive, Howard said. This little thing we are going through now, even though we dont want to, I think its best we are going through it now and not at the end of the season.All the things we need to clean up, offensively and defensively, are being exposed right now. It gives us time to work on it. So come playoff time and later on in the season, well have all that down pat.The best thing we can do now is not hold our heads, keep positive, speak life into the situation and keep pushing.Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer is obviously not happy with the offense.We are not getting the looks that we need to get, he said. Then I think it puts a lot of pressure when you do get a good look. There is more of a priority, more of a need, to make those good ones.The game gets hard that way. You want to be free-flowing. I dont think we are getting enough good possessions to make those good looks flow right. ' ' '
