The Cubs have opted for Jake Arrieta as their starting pitcher for this crunch match up, and he will be up against Michael Wacha for the Cardinals.
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Indicating how massive today’s game is; in a best of five Division series that is tied up at 1-1, the victor of Game 3 has gone on to win 25 of 32 times – a massive 78 percent win rate. Four frames later, it was Rizzo’s turn to give a St. Louis pitcher whiplash. Cahill then proceeded to strike out the next two batters, and for a moment, it looked for all the world as though the Cubs would emerge, once again, unscathed.
John Lackey will go to the mound for the Cardinals against Jason Hammel. But a failed safety squeeze and a Chris Denorfia bases-loaded, two-out grounder to short ended the threat with the Cubs clinging to a two-run lead.
Hammel got one run back, bouncing an RBI a single up the middle with two outs to score second baseman Starlin Castro from second. The last four combined to shut out the Cardinals the last three innings.
Fans cheer as Chicago Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo (44) hits a home run…
He was replaced by Adam Wainwright, making his third postseason relief appearance. The Cardinals added two runs in the sixth-inning.
Light hitting catcher Tony Cruz lined a double into right, scoring Heyward and bringing the Cardinals to within one.
Cruz attempted to score from second, but Jorge Soler’s throw to Miguel Montero was right on the money to nail Cruz at the plate.
Rizzo’s go-ahead homer in the sixth was his second of the postseason.
Leading off the bottom of the seventh inning, 22-year-old rookie Kyle Schwarber, loaded his bat and finished with a moonshot out of Wrigley Field high into the October sky. On Tuesday, the bullpen shone brightest, throwing the last six innings of the game, allowing only two runs and striking out 13, as the combo of Justin Grimm, Travis Wood, Trevor Cahill, Fernando Rodney, Clayton Richard, Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon improbably kept the Cardinals’ offense quiet.
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“It was just unfortunate”, St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. Cruz started in his place. “We had an opportunity maybe to get back home and do things differently, but they took advantage of the opportunities they had”, he said. “They put in so much time that’s never recognized”, he said.
