Chicago Cubs, New York Mets win for 2-1 NLDS leads
St. Louis Cardinals plus-110 at Chicago Cubs: $400 to win $450 John Lackey, who pitched into the eighth inning and limited the Chicago Cubs to just two hits in the opening game of the series, will try to save the Cardinals season tonight in an elimination game at the Cubs.
“Seeing the ball fly out of the yard as many times as it did was just incredible”, Arrieta said.
This is his first start in this year’s postseason, but he has appeared in four playoff games for three different teams.
“Pretty impressive”, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.
I’m glad they’re allowing fireworks at Wrigley this year, aren’t you?
“We definitely can’t jump ahead of ourselves”, Granderson said of the chance to wrap up the series.
The Chicago Cubs, who have gone 107 years without a World Series title, are poised to clinch their National League Division Series on Tuesday but know they face a daunting challenge in the top-seeded St. Louis Cardinals. Lackey has only started games twice on three days rest.
“I didn’t want to put my team in a sticky situation”. “I’m going to compete my butt off”, Lackey said after the decision was announced.
Heyward and Stephen Piscotty homered for St. Louis, which got to Arrieta for four runs in his worst start in four months. The Cardinals, though, were unable to keep the Cubs in the ballpark. Hector Rondon retired Matt Holliday on a bouncer to second, and the party was on.
“We were grinding against Arrieta all night and we did have opportunities”, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.
They just could not pull out the win.
Toronto took most of the suspense out of the game early with three runs in the first inning, one run in the second and three runs in the third to take a 7-0 lead.
And it didn’t matter, not one bit. Rizzo followed with a solo shot to make it 5-2 in front of an announced crowd of 42,411.
Bryant’s two-run drive made it 4-2 with one out in the fifth and chased Wacha in favor of Kevin Siegrist.
LIke Bryant, Anthony Rizzo broke out of his slump with a home run on Monday as well.
Even Adam Wainwright got into the act, serving up Soler’s two-run shot in the sixth.
Game 3 of the National League Division Series between the Cubs and Cardinals was supposed to be about the great Jake Arrieta and his total and complete inability to give up runs of any kind.
Among the many problems facing St. Louis, against the wall down 2-1 in their series with the Cubs, is how to stop the boy from Havana. Game 4 tomorrow afternoon is set for 3:37 p.m. Connecticut on TBS.
Hosmer launched a long, two-run homer in the ninth for insurance.
It needed a lot of hits – and maybe a little help, too.
It has been a battle of runs for both squads as they split the first two meetings of the series. On Monday, Arrieta gave up five hits while walking two and striking out nine.
In order to get the Cards to Game 5, Lackey (left) needs to go through Soler. Hammel pitched five shutout innings in his final start of the regular season on October 1 at Cincinnati.