Cubs On Verge Of Being Swept After Dodgers Cruise To 6-1 Win In NLCS Game 3

By Stephen Gossett in News on Oct 18, 2017 5:01AM

The Cubs are one loss away from being swept out of the National League Championship Series after the Dodgers handed them a nasty 6-1 loss in Game Three. It was a familiar tale: insufficient, if improved, Cubs offense running up against dominant Dodgers pitching. The climb back is all but insurmountable: only one team, the 2004 Boston Red Sox, has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit to win an MLB best-of-seven playoff series.

If you wanted to isolate a microcosm for the sheer smdh-ness of the series from a Cubs perspective, you could point to the sixth inning. In a postseason that continues to see Chicago’s bullpen literally lose control, reliever Carl Edwards Jr. walked in a run with the bases loaded. Against the Dodgers’ starting pitcher. On four pitches.

Or you could point to the eighth inning, when a confounding combination of a walk, single, passed ball on a strikeout and sacrifice fly surrendered made it 6-1.

But LA had done sufficient damage even prior, including two solo home runs off Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks, one by Andre Either, in the first inning, and another Chris Taylor, in the third. Taylor also added an RBI triple in the third. Given the Dodgers’ world-beating bullpen dominance, one got the feeling a rally would be all but impossible to come by even if they had managed to stop the bleeding.

Meanwhile, the Cubs’ moribund offense—which had been the very worst of any team to reach the League Championship Series in the wild-card era, according to some metrics, going into Game Three—actually fared better on Tuesday night. The Cubs delivered eight hits and drew two walks. But as in Games One and Two, their only mark on the scoreboard came via an early-inning long ball, this time from a Kyle Schwarber homer in the first inning. But as usual in this series, it proved too little, too early.

The Cubs bats mustered a modest showing late, placing two runners in scoring position in the ninth. But then seemingly untouchable closer Kenley Jansen came in and secured three consecutive outs to promptly shut it down.

Javy Baez waving his finger at an out Yasiel Puig in the top of the ninth inning, blowout be damned, was kinda fun, at least:

The Dodgers look to close it out tomorrow in Game Four at 8 p.m., at Wrigley Field. Jake Arrieta will square off against well-rested lefty Alex Wood.