In this NLDS match up the Wild Card winning San Francisco Giants would face the best team in baseball the Chicago Cubs. One might think this is a David and Goliath series, but it would be hard to pick which is which. One one hand the Cubs are the best in baseball, but on the other, The Giants of the reputation of winning a World Series every other season since 2010. This NLDS will be must see tv.
Game 1
For game 1, the Cubs skipper Joe Maddon decided to go with Jon Lester over Jake Arrieta and the the Giants Bruce Bochy sent Johnny Cueto to the mound. Both have similar 2016 regular season ERAs, but Lester is the clear winner in the postseason with 3 times the experience and half the ERA of Cueto. The Cubs are the favorite in this October match up, but anything can happen in the playoffs.
It should come as no surprise that there was little offence . In the 3rd, catcher David Ross threw a laser to first to pick off Conor Gillaspie. Later in the 3rd the Ross hit a long ball to center that would have been for extra bases except that Gorkys Hernandez made an amazing sliding catch that would close out the inning.
There was no score until the 8th inning when Javier Baez knocked a home run to to left. 1-0 Cubs. The Giants would fail to score and that run would be the game winner.
W: Lester (1-0) L: Cueto (0-1) S: Chapman (1)
Game 2
Small ball would be the name of the game in game 2.
The Cubs waste no time building a lead against the Giants. Super utility man Ben Zobrist started the scoring off with a single to right to score Dexter Fowler. 1-0 Cubs. In the 2nd, the runs would continue; Kyle Hendricks would single to score Jason Heyward and Baez. Later that same inning Chris Bryant would single to right and Wilson Contreras. 4-0 Cubs. The Giants would answer the onslaught of runs in the 3rd; Gregro Blanco would double to score Joe Panik and Brandon Belt would hit a sac fly to score Blanco. The Giants would cut the Cubs lead by 2. 4-2 Cubs.
In the 4th, starter Travis Wood would hit a single home run to left center pushing the Cubs lead to 5-2. The score would remain stable and the Cubs would pull off their 2nd win of the post season.
W: Wood (1-0) L: Samardzjia (0-1) S: Chapman (2)
Game 3
The Cubs have a chance to close out the series, but the Giants are not going to go down easy. The match up would be one that can not be missed, dueling aces, Jake Arrieta and Madison Bumgarner. Can the Arrieta and the Cubs pull off a win?
Of the 2 starters Bumgarner is known for his ability at the plate, but the game was started by a 3 run shot by Arrieta in the 2nd; Cubs are up 3-0. For the next few innings the Giants dominated the scoreboard. Starting in the 3rd Buster Posey singled home Denard Span. In the 5th Belt would hit a sac fly to also score Span. The in 8th Conor Gillaspie would triple to drive in Posey and Belt, and as a result Brandon Crawford’s single allowed Gillaspie to score. The score was 5-4 Giants in the 8th and the Cubs lost the lead and only had one inning to come back.
In the 9th the 2015 NL rookie of the year would step up for the Cubs and tie the game with a solo home run. The Giants would not walk it off in the 9th, so this game would go into extras. It was not until the 13th until the walk off the Giants were waiting for came via double by Panik. The Giants won 6-5. On to game 4.
W: Blach (1-0) L: Montgomery (0-1)
Game 4
The Giants were able to pull off a win in game 3 of the NLDS against the Cubs to stay alive in the playoffs and they would be looking to do it again in game 4. The Cubs, on the other hand, will be looking to end this series tonight.
The Giants waist no time and score their first run in the first; a sac fly by Posey to score Span. 1-0 Giants. The Cubs are quick to tie up the game as well; catcher David Ross hits a solo shot to left. In the 4th pitcher Matt Moore would record his first RHI ever when he would hit a single to right to score Gillaspie. Not all runs are pretty, but a run is a run, and later in the 4th the Giants would score another when Span would hit into a fielder’s choice to score Panik. 3-1 Giants. The Cubs get one back in the 5th when again Ross gets the RBI off a sac fly that allows Baez to cross the plate. 3-2 Giants. The 5th would also be a big inning for the Giants. They would score 2 runs and see every batter in the lineup this inning; Gillaspie would single to score Brandon Crawford and Panik would his a sac fly that would allow Crawford to cross the plate again in the same inning.
The Giants extend their lead to 5-2 over the Cubs, and many neigh sayers were calling for a game 5, but then it got to the 9th. In the 9th the tide started to turn in the favor of the Cubs. The epic inning began with a double by Ben Zobrist to score Bryant; Wilson Contreras would single to score Zobrist; and and Baez would single to score Heyward. Cubs are up 6-5 and the mighty Giants could not recover. Cubs win! The Cubs move in the NLCS.
W: Rondon (1-0) L: Smith, W (0-1) S: Chapman (3)
