National League Championship Series
New York Mets at Chicago Cubs
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Trials and Errors
For the Chicago Cubs, this night was their last chance to keep the dream alive, with the hopes to re-write their history. It required no errors, no pitching misses, and every bat to come alive. It required perfection on the biggest stage that any of these players for the young Cubs had ever seen.
Unfortunately for the Cubs, that was not what happened to start things off. Jason Hammel pitched to the entire Mets lineup in the first inning, and gave up back-to-back jacks to Yoenis Cespedes and Lucas Duda. At the time, Hammel was a single out away from getting out of the inning unscathed. A theme that has been on a loop for the Cubs in this series. Hammel worked only two batters into the 2nd, but as it turns out, that still equated to 48 pitches on the night, and a 4-0 score.
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Travis Wood got the nod from Joe Maddon to help save the Cubs’ chances at a rally, but unfortunately he was also victimized by Duda driving in his 4th and 5th RBI’s for the night (a franchise play-off record). Wood managed to get out of the inning, however the deficit was now 6-0. For their part, it would take the Cubs three full innings, and two pitchers for their entire lineup to see an at bat. Matz was just that good through 3, and the Cubs…well, they were not.
The Cubs caught a small break when Cespedes left the game with a shoulder strain, but they would have to capitalize in order for that to matter. So far on this night, the game had been firmly under the control of the Mets, and it was going to take a herculean effort to shift that balance of power. The Mets to this point had been able to capitalize on every Cubs error, and every missed pitch. These are only a few of the things that were working for the Mets, and for the Cubs not even Cespedes’ early departure could provide a spark to light their fuse.
Bear Trapped
Wood got a 1-2-3 inning in the third, and the Cubs made some rumblings with their turn at bat as David Ross was walked, and Dexter Fowler ripped a blast towards the outfield. Unfortunately, Duda was standing right in front of the lane Fowler’s ball was destined to slip through. It was a blistering hit, but once again the Mets found themselves in the right place, at the right time.
Clayton Richard came in at the top of the 4th, and he had a respectable inning that certainly gave the Cubs what they needed from him, as he allowed a lone base hit from Murphy, the Cub killer, but collected his three outs before any more damage could be done.
The bottom of the inning fueled the hope that still buzzed throughout Wrigleyville with a lead off double from Jorge Soler, a walk from Kris Bryant, and a base hit from Anthony Rizzo loading the bases with no outs. Castro struck out, but Schwarber was able to drive in Soler as he grounded out to first. However, their luck dried up after that, with another out soon to follow.
The Cubs threatened again in the 5th with 2 outs, as Fowler popped a ball just fair into right. Soler followed that up with a base hit to center, and the Cubs finally chased Mets starter Steven Matz from the game. Bartolo Colon came in next, and Kris Bryant was able to get him to a full count, but Rookie of the Year candidate got caught swinging at a pitch that likely would have given him the walk. Cubs went down swinging again.
For the Cubs, the ball and their fate were in the hands of Trevor Cahill to start the 6th. All they needed was a miracle, it was not much to ask. Unfortunately, a routinely hit ball by Wilmer Flores hit Kyle Schwarber in the wrists instead of connecting with his glove for a triple. The Mets had the ball on a string, all night, and the Cubs just could not break the thread.
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For whatever reason, the offense had seemingly dried up on both sides for a stretch, but at the top of the 8th with Fernando Rodney on the mound for the Cubs, Curtis Granderson took a walk. One out, and one batter later, the guy who has just brutalized the Cubs night in and night out walked to the plate and the air was seemingly sucked out of Wrigleyville. Daniel Murphy watched that little baseball come to the plate, seeing it as if it were a basketball, and simply crushed it, for his 6th straight postseason game with a home run. The blast was a dagger for Chicago, with the score now 8-1.
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The young bats proved the fuse still burned in the 8th, as Soler doubled to right and Bryant drove him in with a two run blast. However, it was simply too little, too late for the young team. This game was effectively over, but the Cubs faithful continued to cheer even as the Mets celebrated the end of their fifteen year absence from the World Series.
Even with the loss, this Cubs’ ball club has a lot to be proud of, and has offered more than enough hope that they will get back here again, and for many years to come. For the fans that have watched this team come together under Theo Epstein’s vision, this run gave them a lot to look forward to. The Cubs will likely be talked about throughout the rest of the post season in spite of their departure, thanks to several stand outs.
They have produced the top candidates in the National League for Rookie of the Year (Kris Bryant), Cy Young Award (Jake Arrieta) and Manager of the Year (Joe Maddon). With those three remaining in Chicago, this loss should only fuel many returns to the post season. Sure, it will sting for a bit, but when the sting wears off, the fight will settle in. The Cubs are down, but they are far from being finished with this chapter.
Slaughter House Rules
There is no way you can talk about this series without talking about how absolutely dominant the Mets pitching is. All four of their starters came out and delivered significant innings while rarely showing the Cubs batters anything that could ignite their offense. A feat that many teams struggled with through out the season, and the post season. They managed to throw strikes when they mattered, and bounce back quickly on the rare occasion that they took a misstep, something that will likely carry into the next round.
The depth on the mound was further bolstered by a solid defense, but the games were torn open by the blistering offense that seemed to be fueled by one player, Murphy, a free agent, who will undoubtedly be rewarded with the fastest and most lucrative re-signing the Mets can muster.
The Mets came into this series knowing their hitters could be a bit streaky, but they left it knowing their hitters were streaking at the right time. Murphy broke Carlos Beltran’s post season home run streak with his 6th straight blast tonight, and if he can keep that going there is no telling how far the streak can carry. One thing is for certain, it has carried him and the Mets straight into the World Series.
Player of the Game: Lucas Duda
Tonight’s game marked the arrival of Duda. He had been on a cold streak, but it seemed that his solid defensive play gave the coaching staff just enough confidence to let him play through it. Their confidence paid off at exactly the right time. Duda was responsible for a home run, 2 doubles and 5 RBI’s on the night, and was hands down the best player the Mets had on the field tonight. He produced in all aspects of the game, and provided his team with a spark that he well look to carry on into the next series. As streaks go, it is probable that this one will not end with this series.
NLCS MVP: Daniel Murphy
It should come as no surprise that Daniel Murphy is the series MVP. Murphy went 9 for 17 with four home runs, one double, and six RBI. He tallied multiple hits in each of his last three games, and had an extra-base hit in all four contests. There was no way for the Cubs to douse the fire, because Daniel Murphy was a veritable powder keg who solved every pitcher the Cubs could throw at him.
World Series Prediction
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This Mets team has only just begun to flex it’s muscles. The Pitching staff is loaded with Aces who are ready, willing and able to play deep into ball games making it nearly impossible for other teams to exploit their bull pen. For opposing teams, getting to Juerys Familia is unlikely to produce anything but more frustration.
If the offense is able to sustain it’s power, there is no reason that either team coming out of the ALCS should pose anything more than a passing threat.
Mets in 5
