OSS: Cardiac Cubs come up with another late comeback.
Three up
- Miguel Montero hit a grand slam to put the Cubs back ahead in the eighth, yet another huge hit in the late innings for this team. Montero might not have even made the roster, given that his back issues were flaring up again. Just unreal. We are good. Woow.
- Javy Baez continues to be the human personification of the flame emoji, hitting two doubles and STEALING HOME. And for some reason Dave Roberts decided to intentionally walk Heyward to get to him in the eighth.
- Aside from the assistance from the opposing dugout, Ben Zobrist got the rally going in the eighth with a leadoff double.
- Kris Bryant also continued his hot hitting postseason, hitting two doubles and drawing a walk. He got the scoring started in just the second PA of the game.
- The Cubs defense was fantastic all night, and Dexter Fowler in particular had two huge plays in center to keep the Dodgers from getting much going against Lester.
- Joe made the right move to pull Jon Lester for a pinch hitter after six. He wasn’t quite as sharp as he was in the NLDS, though he still held them to just one wind-aided run in part thanks to said defense.
Three down
- The bullpen coughed up the lead in the eighth, but I don’t really have any particular complaints. Toles slapped one through the infield off of Wood, then Strop got squeezed on a walk and gave up a weird infield single. Chapman brought the heat with the bases loaded and got beat by good hitting by Adrian Gonzalez. Sometimes shit happens. I was most worried about the go-ahead run scoring on a Chapman wild pitch, but his control was pretty good tonight.
- Rizzo and Russell remain ice cold, and they’ve got Kershaw coming tomorrow.
-
Ethier homer: 98mph, 43 degrees. all other such batted balls, from Baseball Savant: pic.twitter.com/E4IouAY8gk
— Jeff Sullivan (@based_ball) October 16, 2016
Next up: Kyle Hendricks faces off with Clayton Kershaw at 7PM CT.
Comments
Given Kershaw’s very busy past week and him still not seeming like he’s all the way back from his injury yet, I have no idea what to expect tomorrow.
That’s actually a step forward. I usually expect him to dominate.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
This game was as satisfying as a well-seasoned cast iron skillet
fang2415Quote Reply
That was an 8th inning in the NLCS involving the Cubs that I recently enjoyed.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Prior to tonight, the best game I’d ever seen live was the first of that four game series sweep in Milwaukee in July 2008 (when they beat Sabathia).
This one surpassed it by the third inning. It was completely, gloriously, batshit insane. I thought the place was going to explode when Javy stole home, and after AGon tied it up, it seemed pretty doom and gloom. Montero’s grand slam (and Dex’s HR) was the loudest and most jubilant I’ve ever seen it. People straight up freaked out.
It seemed appropriate for this team, though. Never out of a game, and able to crush any opponent. Here’s hoping they do it 7 more times (preferably with less chance of a heart attack).
PerkinsQuote Reply
I can’t believe it. This is a Gordo column I recently enjoyed…
http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/theo-lauds-hendry-influence-on-cubs-playoff-run/
Jim Hendry = class. Wish the Cubs had gotten it done during his tenure.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
http://www.hittrackeronline.com/
Fun to contrast Ethier’s home run with the two the Cubs hit.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
That said, David Ross’s home run in the NLDS is also considered lucky, so I can’t really complain.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Per Darren Willman, the one double that was hit with the same trajectory as Ethier’s was lost in the sun.
GWQuote Reply
GW,
(dying laughing)
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
I assume the dodgers win any time Kershaw starts, but if Hendricks is on his game and getting lots of ground outs and weak contact, I think the Cubs will win.
I would have liked to see the Cubs chase Maeda a lot earlier than they did last night.
dmick89Quote Reply
http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/dodgers-manager-dave-roberts-wild-eighth-inning-i-would-do-same-thing-over-again
berseliusQuote Reply
It felt like they should have gotten even more off of Maeda, he had nothing. The Cubs batters should be looking forward to game five if they don’t bust out the brooms first.
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
He made good decisions. He made the same ones I would hope Joe would make if he was in the same situation.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Intentionally walking Heyward?
berseliusQuote Reply
I didn’t think the intentional walks were good decisions, but the fact that they didn’t work this time is beside the point. Montero makes an out much more often than he hits a home run.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
The Heyward walk was the only thing I wouldn’t have done. There’s just no reason to walk an automatic out.
Thought too far ahead, imo. Getting Chapman out of the game wasn’t as important as he seemed to think.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
I dislike Chapman’s unwillingness to throw his slider in situations like last night. Gonzalez even called him out for it.
He’s got to start throwing it.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
I understand his unwillingness to throw it with a runner on third, but 102 mph is easier to hit when you know it’s coming. That said, he did strike out half the batters he faced. He also threw only fastballs in game 4 of the NLDS and struck out the side.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Also, how the hell do they let Gonzalez steal a base in a tie game?
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Agreed. And I don’t necessarily mind not throwing it to Seager and Puig, who were clearly overmatched by the fastball. But a decade-long very good hitter like Gonzalez needed to see something other than smoke. It’s knowing your opponent.
But then again, Chapman had just blown away two straight hitters. Probably had no reason to think he wouldn’t blow away Gonzalez. If he throws a slider and it gets away, or Gonzalez ropes that for a double, we’re all pissed he didn’t stick with his fastball. He was in the toughest spot for any reliever to be in, and nearly escaped it.
I hope he starts mixing in the occasional slider regardless. When it’s even halfway decent it makes him even more unstoppable.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
For the 200000 lire it’s worth, he did throw a few sliders in the NLDS and they were all over the place. It’s possible he doesn’t trust it enough to throw it with a guy on third.
berseliusQuote Reply
This is one of those cases where save/blown save doesn’t really capture the performance or impact. He came into a situation in which the visiting team wins (slightly) more often than not, and left in a situation where the home team has a slight advantage. And the Cubs did win, so I’d say using Chapman there “worked,” even though the results were less than ideal.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Strop was the reliever with the biggest negative impact, but he got squeezed on the walk and the hit he gave up was just a well-placed grounder.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
Also agreed. I’m really not upset with Chapman’s performance at all outside of my (probably) unfair second-guessing of his non-use of his slider. Can’t think of a single pitcher alive who would have been as good a bet to escape unscathed from that inning as Chapman. And he damn near pulled it off.
Fwiw, Stark says Gonzalez’s hit was the first he’s gotten as a Dodger against triple-digit heat (though he’s likely rarely seen it). So, perhaps Chapman was right to keep gassing it in there. He probably shouldn’t have gotten the hit.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Yeah, I feel bad for Strop. He didn’t pitch poorly, but when he left, the Cubs looked fucked.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
The intentional walks were done to get Chapman out of the game. If the Cubs score and, he probably stays in the game and even gets and at bat. The intentional walks got him out and despite being a backend bullpen guy, Rondon hasn’t looked all that good overall in my opinion. I don’t know he win probability numbers and maybe the intentional walks offset getting Chapman out, but if I’m the dodgers, I’d much rather face Rondon.
dmick89Quote Reply
Besides, I think you can take a lot more risks in game 1 when Clayton Kershaw is your game 2 starter. The dodgers, I’m sure, still feel pretty good about taking one in Chicago and giving themselves a chance to clinch back home. All Blanton had to do was throw any non-terrible pitch and he’s out of that inning with Chapman gone and the score tied.
dmick89Quote Reply
I thought Chapman pitched fine. You’ve got to assume 2 are scoring when the bases are loaded and nobody is out regardless of who is pitching.
dmick89Quote Reply
FWIW, I don’t think Chapman was coming out for the ninth either way. I’m probably on my own with that one though (dying laughing).
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
With a righty and two lefties due up, I think you’ve got to send Chapman back out. I don’t see Joe putting his trust in Rondon in game one when Chapman could still throw another inning.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
I see the logic. And hey, Joe himself said he would have done the same as Roberts (that may or may not count as justification). I just hate loading the bases intentionally with mediocre hitters, and I tend to err on the side of winning the inning in front of you before worrying about the next one, particularly late in the game. I certainly don’t like making the inning in front of you riskier. Any negative outcome means at least one run there. And even if you draw Rondon, one run to tie is far from a guarantee.
So what if the Dodgers had to face Chapman in the 9th? Yeah, you probably don’t score, but you still have the option of countering with Jansen for the 9th (and maybe the 10th). Cubs are as poor a bet to score against him as the Dodgers are against Chapman. Then you get Rondon in the 10th against your best hitters.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
dmick89,
I’d be more worried about not having Chapman available for game 2, since he can really rack up a pitch count even when he’s dealing. I think a lot of my feelings on this stem from having a lot more faith in Rondon than most.
berseliusQuote Reply
A good point. Safest bet is to assume Cubs drop tonight’s game. Though I am hoping like hell that Kershaw’s busy past week plus whatever lingering recovery issues he’s still having are enough for the Cubs to scratch across a couple of runs.
Of course, Hendricks has to match.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
This and the fact that this team has destroyed lefties is what I’m hanging my hat on for this game. Of course, Kershaw is no ordinary lefty, and only the pitcher really got to Bumgarner. Maybe Arrieta should have started this game (dying laughing).
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
The Cubs did better than I remember against Bumgarner. Seven hits, three for extra bases.
berseliusQuote Reply
And Kershaw is slightly more human away from Dodger Stadium.
I just wish I could muster faith in Kyle Hendricks. He certainly deserves more than I have.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
He just has the face that inspires confidence (dying laughing)
berseliusQuote Reply
There was a runner at third, I bet it was a designed delayed steal type play to try to get them to throw and steal a run to go ahead. I think with a strikeout pitcher on the mound, you just eat the ball and hope for the out.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
berselius,
(dying laughing), definitely not. Looks like he’s waiting for his dad to tell him it’s okay to quit baseball.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
They did pretty well, I thought, just got a little unlucky. Most encouraging was how they made him work hard and got him out early.
I’m hoping for the same with Kershaw tonight. Lot of pitches. Make him work like hell for every out.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
new shite
http://obstructedview.net/a-few-good-tweets-from-game-1/
GWQuote Reply