Hundreds of “W” flags and maybe thousands of “W” towels that were handed out to fans before Game 3 of the National League Division Series were flying high at the end when the Cubs beat the Cardinals 8-6 to take a 2-1 series lead.
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“We always feel that we’re still in games, and we still have a chance”, first baseman Eric Hosmer said. In the second, the molten Kyle Schwarber homered to put the Cubs on top 1-0.
The Cardinals jumped in front 2-1 in the fourth.
2B Starlin Castro was 2-for-4 with a homer.
To seal a historic performance in Game 3, Soler made the record books four times, one individually and three collectively. In the fifth inning Soler recorded a single against Wacha. The problem is that the Cardinals came back with six runs. Most of Lackey’s road struggles came early in the season, and that ERA is additionally inflated by a disaster start in Colorado on June 8 in which he allowed ten runs, eight earned, in just four innings. Clayton Richard would get out of the jam for Chicago without allowing any more damage.
The Cubs and Cardinals kick off the first game at 4:37pm EDT. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports Jorge Soler has been the MVP of the Chicago Cubs post-season and that continued with his two-run home run on Monday. The Dodgers arguably have the (slight) pitching advantage in a theoretical Game 5 at Dodger Stadium, with Zack Greinke against Jacob deGrom, unlike the Cardinals, who would be facing Jon Lester with … well, no one seems to know, exactly.
St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina winced on a swing-and-miss in the fourth inning, and then was checked on by a trainer and Matheny.
In his second go-around with Chicago, Hammel witnessed quite a change from a 2014 team that went 73-89 to this year’s 97-65 team.
But because this is the Cubs, it’s not easy.
The Cubs took a 2-1 lead in the series with an 8-6 victory at home on Monday night.
After losing the first two games in the series at home, the Blue Jays won both games in Texas in a span of 24 hours. The second, and most recent, was Game 4 of the 2005 ALCS against the Yankees, which the Angels’ bullpen lost in the seventh inning after a strong 5 2/3 innings from Lackey. Chicago, as a team, had a total of six home runs. Bryant and Rizzo also woke up from their series-long doldrums, as Bryant went 2/5 with a homer and Rizzo went 1/4 with a homer.
St. Louis ranks near the bottom of the league at 23rd when it comes to home runs, hitting 144 this season. The Cardinals have a 24-44 record when opponents outhit them.
FIRST PITCH TODAY will be at 3:37 CST, being aired on TBS.
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The Cubs can clinch their first trip back to the NL Championship Series since 2003 in Game 4 this afternoon, with former Ray Jason Hammel on the mound. Lackey got the win in Game One of the NLDS match-up against Cubs Jon Lester for a shutout.
