National League Division Series Game 3 – Cubs 8, Cardinals 6
WP – Jake Arrieta (1-0) LP – Michael Wacha (0-1) Save – None
The Cubs outslugged the Cardinals on Monday night and took a 2-1 lead in the best of five National League Division Series. The Cubs set Major League records and became the first team in post-season history to hit six homers in a single-game and have six different players hit home runs. The Cubs scored all eight runs on the six longballs and beat the Cardinals on Monday night at the old ballyard.
The offense led the Cubs in Game 3 of the NLDS on a night Jake Arrieta did not have it. The Cubs launched six home runs with Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo hitting back-to-back jacks in the fifth that broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Cubs the lead.
The first six batters in the Cubs’ lineup went yard Monday (Fowler, Soler, Bryant, Rizzo, Castro and Schwarber) and it was Kyle Schwarber (1-for-3 with a home run and a walk) that gave the Cubs the lead in the second inning with a solo shot to left center.
Starlin Castro (2-for-4 with a home run) tied the game at two in the fourth with a solo homer to the bleachers in left center.
Kris Bryant (2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI) smacked a two run homer with Jorge Soler on board off Michael Wacha in the fifth that broke the 2-2 tie. After Mike Matheny went to his pen and replaced Wacha with lefty Kevin Siegrist, Anthony Rizzo (1-for-4 with a home run) launched a solo homer to right.
Jorge Soler (2-for-2 with a home run, two walks, two RBI and two runs scored) has been huge for the Cubs in the series and drilled the first pitch from Adam Wainwright in the sixth for a two-run homer.
Dexter Fowler (1-for-4 with a home run and a SAC) capped the home run parade with a solo homer in the eighth. As is turned out, the Cubs would need every single run Monday.
Jake Arrieta did not have it Monday night. For the first time since June 16 he did not record a quality start and left the game with two outs in the sixth inning. But for one of the few games this season, his teammates picked him up. Arrieta did enough to get the game to the bullpen with a lead to protect. Arrieta gave up more than one run in a single start for the first time since Aug. 15. And before Monday, the last time Arrieta walked two batters in a single start was Sept. 11. Arrieta walked nine batters in his previous 11 games.
Jake Arrieta allowed four runs on five hits with two walks and nine strikeouts. Arrieta gave up a two-run homer to Jason Heyward and made 97 pitches, 64 for strikes in 5 2/3 innings.
The bullpen stepped up again Monday night and did a good job in relief of Jake Arrieta.
Clayton Richard closed out the sixth with the tying run on first base. Trevor Cahill and Travis Wood combined on a scoreless seventh. And Pedro Strop was lights out in the eighth. Strop struck out two of the three batters he faced.
Hector Rondon allowed a two-run homer to Stephen Piscotty in the ninth. Rondon settled back in and recorded the 27th out to end the game.
Addison Russell (1-for-2 with a triple) had to leave the game in the fourth inning with tightness in his left hamstring. Russell stretched a double to a two-out triple and hurt his hamstring rounding second base. Russell’s defense was missed and his status for Tuesday is unknown.
With Monday’s win, the Cubs took a 2-1 lead in the best of five National League Division Series.
Jake Arrieta worked out of a jam in the second inning after Heyward led off with a double to left over Schwarber’s head. Peralta rolled out to Bryant at third. Heyward had to hold as Bryant threw out Peralta at first. Pham grounded out to second, Heyward advanced to third but did not score. Molina grounded out to Castro for the third out. Arrieta needed 31 pitches (19 for strikes) to complete two innings.
Starlin Castro bounced back to Wacha (3-2 pitch) for the first out in the second inning.
Kyle Schwarber drove a 2-2 pitch to left and the ball landed in the left center field basket. Schwarber’s second home run of the post-season made it 1-0 Cubs.
Addison Russell fouled out to Molina near the on-deck circle. Miguel Montero struck out swinging to end the inning. Wacha made 35 pitches, 17 for strikes, in two innings.
The Cubs led 1-0 after two innings.
Jake Arrieta lost his command in the fourth inning. With the Cubs leading 1-0, Arrieta walked Stephen Piscotty and Matt Holliday to start the inning. Arrieta caught Heyward looking at a 2-2 pitch for the first out.
Jhonny Peralta launched a 0-2 pitch to deep left. The wind kept the ball in the park. Piscotty scored and tied the game at one. And Holliday held at third on a double by Peralta. Tommy Pham rolled a 0-1 pitch toward third. Bryant fielded the ball and got the out at first base. Holliday scored, 2-1 Cardinals. Molina tapped back to Arrieta for the third out. Jake Arrieta made 65 pitches in four innings, 41 for strikes.
Michael Wacha retired Rizzo on a grounder to short for the first out in the fourth.
Starlin Castro smacked the first pitch from Wacha into the bleachers in left center and tied the game at two. Bryant struck out swinging (2-2 pitch) for the second out in the fourth. Addison Russell pulled Wacha’s first pitch deep to left. The ball hit off the base of the ivy and just missed leaving the yard. Russell rounded second and slid in headfirst at third with a two out triple. But Russell had to leave the game after a visit at third base with the trainers. It was reported as a hand injury at the time, but Russell left the game with left hamstring tightness. Javier Baez replaced Russell at third. Montero was intentionally walked. With runners on the corners, Arrieta struck out swinging to end the inning.
The game was tied at two after four innings.
Jake Arrieta gave up a two-out single to Matt Carpenter in the fifth, but that was all. Arrieta struck out Piscotty swinging on a 1-2 pitch to end the inning … 78 pitches for Arrieta after five innings, 52 for strikes.
After Fowler flied out to right for the first out in the fifth, Jorge Soler ripped a single into left center.
Kris Bryant unloaded on a 3-2 pitch from Wacha. Bryant hit the ball into the bleachers in left. The Cubs took a 4-2 lead and chased Michael Wacha from the game.
Kevin Siegrist replaced Wacha and Anthony Rizzo greeted him with a long homer to right. Rizzo went back-to-back with Bryant and gave the Cubs a 5-2 lead.
Kyle Schwarber walked following a Castro foul out to first. Javier Baez singled to left and put runners on the corners with two outs for Montero. The Cardinals pitched to Montero. Baez swiped second on a 2-0 pitch to but Montero struck out swinging to end the inning.
The Cubs led 5-2 after five innings.
Matt Holliday started the sixth with a single to center (2-2 pitch). Jason Heyward drove a 1-1 pitch to the bleachers in left for a two-run homer. And just like that the Cubs lead was down to 5-4. Arrieta struck out Peralta and Pham swinging. Brandon Moss batted for the injured Yadier Molina. Arrieta hit Moss with his first pitch.
Joe Maddon decided that was enough for Arrieta and went to the mound. With the tying run on first base, Clayton Richard was called on to face Kolten Wong. Richard did his job. Wong tapped back to the mound for the third out.
Chris Coghlan hit for Richard to start the sixth and singled to center off Seth Maness. Fowler bunted a 2-1 pitch down the third baseline. Maness picked up the ball and threw a strike to first. Coghlan advanced to second on what was scored as a sac bunt. Mike Matheny made a double switch and brought in Adam Wainwright to face Soler with a man on second and one out.
Jorge Soler crushed Wainwright’s first pitch … and the ball got out of Wrigley in a hurry. Soler’s two-run shot to left center gave the Cubs a 7-4 lead.
Bryant grounded out to Wong in the shift and Rizzo popped out to short to end the inning.
The Cubs led 7-4 after six innings.
Trevor Cahill and Travis Wood pitched around an error by Javier Baez in the seventh and the Cubs did not tack on against Wainwright in the seventh. The game went to the eighth with the Cubs leading 7-4.
Pedro Strop was electric in the eighth. Strop struck out Peralta swinging for the first out and caught Tony Cruz looking to end the eighth.
Jonathan Broxton made his way to the mound for the bottom of the eighth inning. After Coghlan struck out swinging, Dexter Fowler pulled a 3-2 pitch into the bleachers in right … 8-4 Cubs. Austin Jackson walked but was thrown out trying to steal second. Bryant struck out and the game went to the ninth with the Cubs leading 8-4.
Hector Rondon retired Wong on a grounder to short for the first out in the ninth. Randal Grichuk reached on an infield single to the hole at short. Baez got to the ball but dropped it in the exchange. Grichuk moved to second with Carpenter at the plate. Carpenter flied out to left. But Stephen Piscotty homered to right and made it 8-6 Cubs. Holliday grounded out to Castro at second to end the game.
Jason Hammel faces John Lackey in Game 4 on Tuesday afternoon (3:37pm CDT).