The Chicago Cubs have one foot in the National League Championship Series following Monday's 8-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.
CBS Sports properly encapsulated the emotions of the entire Cubs fanbase since the franchise is nine innings away from its first NLCS appearance since that fateful 2003 postseason trip:
The Cubs will have to feel especially good about the victory since Jake Arrieta had his worst start for some time. The 29-year-old exited after 5.2 innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits. ESPN's Jayson Stark provided some context for just how out of character that performance was for the right-hander:
For San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Duffy, Arrieta still has a long way to go to match last year's World Series MVP:
A poor start from an ace can sometimes doom a team in a playoff game, but Chicago's offense stepped up to provide more than enough run support to cover for Arrieta's struggles.
Throughout the entire year, many have wondered whether the Cubs—like the Houston Astros—can make a run at a World Series while relying on a number of young players.
Those young players were critical to the victory as Kyle Schwarber, Addison Russell, Kris Bryant and Jorge Soler went a combined 6-for-12 at the plate and drove in five runs.
ESPN's Max Bretos had an interesting way to characterize the Cubs' promising stars:
While success is never guaranteed in MLB, Baseball America's Ben Badler can't help but look ahead to what Chicago can accomplish in the future:
Through the Cubs' first three postseason games, Schwarber acquitted himself well to the lineup. In the bottom of the second inning Monday night, the 22-year-old hammered his second home run of the playoffs, sending a changeup from Cardinals starter Michael Wacha just over the wall in left-center:
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Schwarber is the first rookie in Cubs history to have two home runs in one postseason.
Through the first three innings, it looked as though Arrieta was in the process of turning in another gem on the mound. A leadoff double by Jason Heyward in the top of the second was his lone blemish.
Then the presumptive NL Cy Young Award winner ran into trouble in the fourth. After back-to-back walks to start the inning, Arrieta surrendered a double off the bat of Jhonny Peralta, which scored Stephen Piscotty. Tommy Pham stepped to the plate next and brought home Matt Holliday on a fielder's choice to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.
St. Louis' advantage was short-lived, however, after Starlin Castro's home run tied the game in the top half of the inning.
The Cubs added three more in the bottom of the fifth following back-to-back home runs from Bryant and Anthony Rizzo.
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny opted to stay with Wacha for one batter too many as Bryant deposited a no-doubter over the left field wall:
Matheny then brought Kevin Siegrist into the game in relief of Wacha. On his fifth pitch of the game, Siegrist watched a fastball sail off the bat of Rizzo to put the Cubs ahead 6-2.
Jason Heyward ensured Cubs fans wouldn't get too comfortable after his two-run home run in the sixth closed the gap to just two runs, but Soler provided Chicago with a bit more security a half-inning later in the form of a solo home run.
CBSSports.com's Tom Fornelli is basically getting to work on Soler's plaque for Cooperstown, New York:
The Cardinals threatened to put another run on the board in the top of the seventh after an error by Javier Baez extended the inning, but Travis Wood got Heyward to quickly line out for the final out.
That represented St. Louis' last best chance for a comeback. Chicago's bullpen kept Cardinals hitters at bay, and Dexter Fowler tacked on another insurance run in the bottom of the eighth, the Cubs' sixth home run of the game.
Chicago will look to close out the series at home Tuesday evening, with the first pitch for Game 4 scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET.
The Cardinals have yet to announce a starting pitcher, while Jason Hammel is set to take the hill for the Cubs. In three starts against St. Louis this year, Hammel is 1-1 with a 5.73 ERA. In 11 innings pitched, he allowed seven earned runs on 10 hits.
Those numbers won't inspire a ton of confidence in Cubs fans, but as long as the offense is hitting the ball like it did Monday, the wild-card winners could seal a place in the NLCS.
Post-Game Reaction
"I know our guys are ready to do it; I think the whole city is ready for this," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of his team reaching the World Series for the first time since 1945, per Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
Matheny confirmed after Game 3 that John Lackey will start on short rest for the Cardinals in Game 4, per Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune. Lance Lynn was the alternative, and while he will be fresher Tuesday, his 7.64 ERA in four starts against the Cubs this year was cause for concern.
"We've been very fortunate to see an amazing amount of selflessness to where guys are putting the club in front of their individual goals," Matheny said. "A guy like Lance Lynn knows we're going to do what's best for our team."