Cubs Live
Last night’s game had it all. Great pitching performances on both sides, as Jake Arrieta produced 5 innings of one-run baseball in his first start in two and a half weeks after injuring his hamstring, and Zach Davies showed up when it mattered most and held the Cubs to 2 runs through 7 innings. When Davies exited the game, I liked our chances with a 2-1 lead. We were able to hit off him, seven times to be exact, but continued to stall when we had opportunities to increase the lead. The Brewers exhausted their bullpen the night before in a heart-breaking loss to the Pirates so they weren’t going to have their top dogs ready to go, while the Cubs didn’t use many key pieces in their disappointing 8-1 loss to Tampa on Wednesday. Brian Deunsing and Pedro Strop combined to pitch the 7th inning and gave up a run that was earned to Deunsing. Strop did a good job of limiting the damage, however, as I was expecting a full blown collapse as he walked two of the four batters he faced. The Cubs got out of the inning tied and had a great opportunity to score in the 8th inning when their first two hitters reached safely, but they stalled again. “Simply one of those games” is what I thought to myself. Justin Wilson did not look like the pitcher we traded for once again in the bottom of the 8th as he gave up what appeared to be the game winning run. The Brewers were threatening to rip the seams right off this game, but a big performance by Justin Grimm helped limit the damage to just one run. With one inning left, the Brewers lead 3-2.
The top of the 9th inning reminded me of what playoff baseball felt like. The inning started with Ian Happ BARELY making it to first before the ball reached Jeremy Jeffress, who was moving uncharacteristically slow for a moment of this magnitude. The Cubs were initially unable to do much with Happ’s lead off single, as he was only able to get to second base with Javy Baez representing the Cubs final chance at the plate with two outs. I wasn’t sure which Javy we were going to get, the one that tries to hit the ball into Lake Michigan, or the one that is controlled and simply tries to get the job down. Last night, we had the best Javy Baez. With the game on the line and down to his last strike, Javy swung at a ball that was below the strike zone for a grounder through the infield just past the second baseman and shortstop, scoring Happ easily. The game was heading to the bottom of the 9th tied at 3. The 9th inning as a whole may have been the most exciting inning of baseball I’ve seen all season, as the drama didn’t stop in the top half. Wade Davis came in and had to pitch himself out of a bases-loaded jam with one out. Domingo Santana, who already had a home run and a double earlier in the game, was up with an opportunity to end the game and move within 2.5 games of the Cubs in the NL Central. Wade Davis had other plans. Santana struck out swinging and was followed by Orlando Arcia, who hit a soft grounder to the mound that Davis handled easily. Crisis averted, and it was only natural that this game went to extra innings. The good feeling I had after getting out of that jam turned into confidence when Jon Jay started the inning with a double. Kris Bryant was up next with a chance to do something heroic, and that’s exactly what he did. I didn’t expect a home run. With nobody out and Jay already on second, I was hoping for simply a ball to the gap or a fly ball long enough to advance Jay to third. With a moonshot to center, the reigning MVP all but iced the game as the Cubs took a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the 10th. Wade Davis produced a drama free ending to the game as he was able to strike out the side. The lead is now at 4.5 games, the magic number is down to 6, and Cubs fans everywhere should be feeling great this morning. The emotions I had during this game is something I haven’t felt since the playoffs last year, and the greatest comparison I could make from last night is from game 4 of the NLDS. I thought that game was all but over before a historic four-run rally in the 9th brought the Cubs a 6-5 victory and a trip to the NLCS. This game didn’t clinch anything. There are still three huge games coming up in this series follow by another big series against the Cardinals, but I like our chances moving forward. The general consensus before game one was that if the Cubs can split this series with the Brewers, they should be in a good spot to clinch the NL Central. Obviously baseball is a crazy game and very unpredictable, but I like where we’re at after the first game. I won’t be popping bottles of champagne if Lackey shows up tonight and the Cubs can take game two, but I will be feeling better about this team than I have all year.
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Kyle MalzhanFounder who is an aspiring journalist who covers the Chicago Cubs daily. Archives
April 2020
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