NLDS Cards vs. Cubs Game 2

Nothing works the sabermetric masses into a frothing, dogmatic tizzy quite like a bunt. “My saying around here is “we’ve got to have it after a loss” and there were a lot of guys saying that to me today”.

Game three of the series is Monday at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, with 22-game victor Jake Arrieta taking the mound for the Cubs against Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha.

The situation presented itself more because of folly than anything the Cubs actively did.

The Cardinals flashed a few life in the fifth, as Wong and Randal Grichuk went back-to-back with two outs.

Jackson advanced to second on the throw and stole third, which was followed by walk to Miguel Montero. Garcia lasted just two innings in his last postseason start, back in 2012.

Previous year during the off season, the Cubs were unsure if Arrieta could be the starter he became in 2014 or the pitcher who struggled with an inflated ERA and control issues.

Another chance would be nice.

Kyle Hendricks got ahead in the count against leadoff hitter Matt Carpenter, and then served up slop that Carpenter pounded to dead center.

Joe Maddon will likely play the matchup game with Fernando Rodney, Justin Grimm and Trevor Cahill who are his remaining relievers on the NLDS roster. “One’s to score a runner”.

Pitcher Garcia pitches in Game 2 of the NLDS St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jaime Garcia delivers a pitch to the Chicago Cubs in the first inning of Game 2 of the National League Division Series at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on October 10, 2015. The rust was apparent.

Matheny said even if Garcia was not ill, he would have been pulled.

The Chicago Cubs look to take a commanding 2-1 series lead with a victory here. He heard catcher Yadier Molina yelling but wasn’t sure what was said.

Garcia pitched well enough in the first inning and into the second. Austin Jackson grounded out to shortstop Jhonny Peralta, but when he flipped to second baseman Kolten Wong to start the double play, Wong lost control of the ball, and threw the ball 30 feet wide of first baseman Brandon Moss, bouncing into the stands. A single run in the first inning put them in the lead from the start and they never looked in much trouble after that; consolidating their victory with three more runs in the eighth inning. “Period”, manager Mike Matheny said. “But they do happen”. “We’ll figure things out when we get to that point”.

“I feel like it was a must-win game”, Wood said Saturday. “It’s just that we haven’t utilized it yet. That’s the kind of team we have to have”. We study that stuff. They did that more than we did.

And so it was no wonder Busch Stadium was so quiet as a record playoff crowd of 47,859 filed out of the ballpark Saturday night.

Beginning in 2012, the automatic entry of the wild-card team into a best-of-five series, with the team with the league’s best record, was scrapped.

Oh, sure, the official statistics will show you that the NL Division Series is tied at 1-apiece, with the Series resuming Monday, where the Cubs will try to win their first postseason game at Wrigley since 2003.

To find themselves in that position on account of two bunts from a Joe Maddon team was particularly surprising.

Lackey is 3-0 with an 0.93 ERA in four starts against Chicago overall. Small ball wasn’t their thing until it was.

“It’s not hard”, Maddon said. I’m here to tell you, man, I just can’t live that way. “I guess it’s a harvest moon possibly”. See, Garcia had been sick for at least two days. It was a brilliant move precipitated by what Maddon saw Friday night in Game 1.