Cardinals-Cubs: 3 things to know for Game 4 of the NLDS

With Jake Arrieta not his usual self Monday night at Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs' gaggle of young hitters picked up the slack, establishing a new postseason record by crushing six home runs en route to an 8-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.

Amid an offensive onslaught from their less venerated division rival, meanwhile, the Cardinals - who won more games than any other team during the regular season - are just one loss away from missing the league championship series for the first time since 2010. Not that manager Mike Matheny is especially concerned, mind you.

"I like our odds when our backs are against the wall," he quipped.

Facing the prospect of an early postseason exit, the Cardinals will send postseason veteran John Lackey to the mound Tuesday, in an effort to bring the series back to St. Louis for a decisive Game 5. The Cubs, meanwhile, will counter with Jason Hammel, entrusting the 33-year-old right-hander with sealing the first ever series win at Wrigley Field in the stadium's 101-year history. No pressure.

Here are three things to know heading into Game 4:

AILING ADDISON

Though the Cubs pulled within one win of their first NLCS berth since 2003 on Monday, their victory wasn't casualty-free. Addison Russell, the young shortstop who finished eighth among rookies with 2.9 WAR in 2015, departed with tightness in his left hamstring after stroking a triple in the fourth inning, forcing manager Joe Maddon to replace him afield with Javier Baez. At the moment, his status for Game 4 remains unclear.

"For right now we are absolutely not certain what the severity is," Maddon said after the game.

Russell's importance to the Cubs, though, especially on defense, was highlighted shortly after his departure, when Baez committed an error with two outs in the seventh, extending the inning with his misplay. If he's unable to play Tuesday, the Cubs' defense will suffer, whether Baez or even Starlin Castro gets the start in Russell's absence.

ODDS FAVOR CUBS AFTER GAME 3 WIN

Even with Russell possibly unavailable, and a tough matchup looming against Lackey, the Cubs still have historical precedent on their side. Since the Division Series was introduced in 1995, one year after both leagues realigned, teams that have gone up 2-1 in the NLDS after a Game 3 victory have advanced to the league championship series more than 83 percent of the time. Including the American League, teams with a 2-1 advantage in the best-of-five matchup have won the series 39 times while losing just 10 times.

SOLER POWER

In a matter of days, rookie outfielder Jorge Soler evolved from a begrudging benchwarmer - he sat in Game 1 in favor of Chris Coghlan and Kyle Schwarber - into, statistically, the greatest playoff performer in baseball history. Soler, still four months shy of his 24th birthday, has yet to create an out this postseason, reaching base in all nine of his plate appearances following another special performance in Game 3.

Career postseason OPS

After going 2-for-2 with a two-run blast and a pair of walks in Game 2 - his first career postseason start and a 6-3 victory at Busch Stadium - the Cuban defector reached base in all four of his plate appearances for a second straight game Monday in Chicago. Once again, Soler drew a couple of walks and tallied two hits in as many at-bats, including a line-drive home run off Adam Wainwright that gave the Cubs a three-run lead in the sixth inning.

At some point, of course, Soler is going to get out. It probably won't be Tuesday, though, as Soler is 4-for-8 with three doubles and one walk in his career against Lackey, who hurled 7 1/3 shutout innings in the series opener.