National League Division Series Game 3 – Cubs 5, Giants 6 – 13 innings
WP – Ty Blach (1-0) LP – Mike Montgomery (0-1) Save – None
There will be a Game 4 of the National League Division Series after the Cubs let Game 3 slip away on Monday night into Tuesday morning at AT&T Park.
The Cubs took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning. Jake Arrieta launched a three-run homer off Madison Bumgarner in the second inning. But the Cubs were not able to tack on. The Giants scored single runs in the third and fifth innings off Arrieta and the game went to the eighth with the Cubs clinging to a one-run lead.
After a leadoff single by Brandon Belt off Travis Wood, Hector Rondon walked Buster Posey to put two on with no outs. Joe Maddon brought in Aroldis Chapman to get out of the jam. Conor Gillaspie tripled in Belt and Posey and the Giants took a 4-3 lead. Brandon Crawford followed with a single to center and the Giants had a two-run lead, 5-3. Justin Grimm cleaned up the mess and the game went to the ninth with the Cubs down by two.
Dexter Fowler (1-for-5 with a walk and a run scored) walked to start the ninth and was on board when Kris Bryant (3-for-5 with a double, a home run, a walk and two RBI) hit a towering homer to left that tied the game at five.
Albert Almora Jr. made an incredible diving catch in right field in the bottom of the ninth and doubled off Brandon Belt to send the game to extra innings.
The Cubs were unable to push across any runs against the Giants pen in extras.
Mike Montgomery stayed in for his fifth inning of work. Brandon Crawford led off the 13th inning with a double to right and scored on a double by Joe Panik to end the game. It took 13 innings and over five hours to decide Game 3.
The Cubs offense continued to struggle Monday with runners on base and in scoring position. The Cubs could not come up with a hit or a productive out Monday and in the end it cost them a game. All five of the Cubs runs scored on two home runs, one by Jake Arrieta (1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI) and the other by Kris Bryant in the ninth.
The Cubs finished the game 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.
Jake Arrieta had a good outing. Arrieta gave up two runs on six hits with a walk and five strikeouts in six innings. Arrieta made 97 pitches, 64 for strikes. Arrieta had good stuff. It was two pitches to Denard Span that cost him both runs.
The Cubs approach against Madison Bumgarner was solid. They made him work and he was out of the game by the fifth inning … but failing to deliver the knockout blow in the third inning with runners on first and third with one down ended up costing them in the end.
Jake Arrieta gave the Cubs a surprising 3-0 lead in the second inning with a booming three-run homer to left off Madison Bumgarner. Dexter Fowler followed with a single to left and Kris Bryant walked. As the Giants pen starting warming up, Anthony Rizzo lined out to short to end the inning.
Arrieta kept the Giants off the board in the bottom of the second and the Cubs went back to work in the top of the third.
Ben Zobrist doubled to left with one out and advanced to third on a single to left center by Addison Russell. With runners on the corners with one out, Javier Baez was caught looking at a 2-2 pitch for the second out. Miguel Montero flied out to right on a 0-1 pitch to end the inning.
The Giants started chipping into the Cubs lead in the third inning. The Cubs were not able to tack on before they knocked Bumgarner out of the game. And the Cubs left the Giants in the game.
Denard Span ripped a 0-2 pitch into the right field corner for a one-out double. Arrieta retired Belt on a foul out to Bryant at third. Arrieta could not get past Posey.
Buster Posey singled to center, Span scored and cut the Cubs lead to 3-1. Hunter Pence flied out to deep right center on a 1-2 pitch to end the inning.
Arrieta worked around a two-out bloop single by Joe Panik in the fourth. Blanco flied out to Soler in left on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning. And the game went to the fifth with the Cubs leading 3-1.
Bruce Bochy left Bumgarner in for the fifth inning. The Cubs continued working at bats but went down in order. Bumgarner made 101 pitches, 66 for strikes, in five innings. And he was lifted for a pinch-hitter to start the bottom of the fifth.
Eduardo Nunez hit for Bumgarner and grounded out to short for the first out in the fifth. Denard Span, who has always hit Cubs’ pitching, tripled to right center. Brandon Belt smoked a 2-2 pitch to right. Ben Zobrist caught the ball, Span tagged and scored … 3-2 Cubs. Buster Posey singled to center. But Arrieta got out of the inning when Zobrist hauled in a deep fly to right off the bat of Hunter Pence for the third out.
At the end of five, the Cubs led 3-2.
The score was still 3-2 going into the bottom of the eighth. Travis Wood stayed in for the eighth after picking up the last out in the seventh. Brandon Belt singled to left and Maddon went to the pen for Hector Rondon.
Rondon jumped ahead of Buster Posey 1-2 but could not finish him off. Rondon walked Posey. With runners on first and second with no outs, Maddon went back to his pen. This time for Aroldis Chapman.
Chapman struck out Hunter Pence swinging for the first out.
Conor Gillaspie stepped in with two on and one out and tripled to right center on a 0-1 pitch. Belt and Posey scored easily and the Giants took a 4-3 lead. Brandon Crawford followed with a single to center past the drawn-in infield. Gillaspie scored and the Giants took a two-run lead, 5-3. A wild pitch allowed Crawford to advance all the way to third. Chapman walked Joe Panik and Maddon finally decided that was enough.
Justin Grimm replaced Chapman with runners on the corners and one out. Contreras tried to pick Crawford off of third base with Blanco at the plate. The ball hit Crawford in the back of his elbow. Panik went to second and the Giants’ trainers checked on Crawford.
With runners on second and third with one down, Blanco grounded out to Rizzo at first. Crawford held. Gorkys Hernandez hit for Strickland and grounded out to short to end the inning.
The game went to the ninth with the Cubs down 5-3.
Sergio Romo started the ninth for the Giants. Dexter Fowler went from 0-2 to 4-2 and a leadoff walk. And Bryant stepped to the plate with the Cubs trailing by two runs.
Kris Bryant launched a 0-1 pitch from Romo to deep left. The ball hit off the top of the wall and just made it into the stands in left. And Bryant’s two-run homer tied the game at five.
Romo retired Rizzo, Almora Jr. and Zobrist in order to end the ninth.
Mike Montgomery started the ninth and Chris Coghlan took over in left. Span grounded out to second for the first out. Brandon Belt walked.
Buster Posey drove a 2-0 pitch deep to right. Albert Almora Jr. ran toward the line and made am incredible diving catch. Almora Jr. threw the ball in and the Cubs doubled off Belt to send the game to extras.
Brandon Crawford led off the 13th inning with a double to right and scored on a double by Joe Panik to end the game.
With Monday’s loss, the Cubs have a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five NLDS.
John Lackey faces lefty Matt Moore in Game 4 on Tuesday night (7:40pm CDT) at AT&T Park.