Buoyed by strong pitching, the Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 3-1 to advance to the National League Division Series.
Michael Busch hit a key insurance run late in the game, and Chicago’s bullpen backed up Jameson Taillon with five strong innings to push the Cubs into the NLDS, where they’ll face the Milwaukee Brewers beginning Saturday.
After a game where they only managed four hits Wednesday, the Cubs’ offense came alive in the second inning, forcing starter Yu Darvish out of the ballgame. Kyle Tucker led off the frame with a single and was chased to third by a Seiya Suzuki double, with Carson Kelly then getting hit by a pitch.
Darvish then surrendered a single to Crow-Armstrong to give the Cubs the lead, and Jeremiah Estrada walked Dansby Swanson to make it a 2-0 game.
Unfortunately for the Cubs, Matt Shaw struck out swinging and Michael Busch grounded into a double play, keeping the game at 2-0 after two innings.
Taillon made it through four innings of scoreless ball, pitching around a Jackson Merrill double in the fourth inning as he got Xander Bogaerts to pop out to shortstop to end the frame.
The Padres had another scoring chance in the fifth inning when Freddy Fermin sliced a double down the left field line to put runners at second and third, but Daniel Palencia managed to get Fernando Tatis Jr. to fly out to right field to squelch the threat.
After Drew Pomeranz worked out of a small jam in the top of the seventh, the Cubs’ bats came to life again, as Busch hammered a home run to right-center field to give Chicago a 3-0 lead. Hoerner then smacked a double off the left field wall, chasing Roberto Suarez from the game.
In what was another key moment of the game, Hoerner was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a Tucker ground ball, with Suzuki striking out to end the frame.
The Cubs went to Brad Keller in the eighth inning, but he got into another jam as he threw a wild pitch that allowed Fermin to advance to second base with only one out. Keller induced a weak ground ball to Swanson to retire Luis Arraez and another to get Manny Machado, leaving the Cubs three outs away from advancing to the Division Series.
Crow-Armstrong got a third hit in the eighth inning, but was gunned out at second base by Fermin as the Cubs squandered another chance to add onto their lead.
That failure to add on added to the stress of the ninth inning, as Merrill hit a home run into the basket in right field to get San Diego on the board, making it a 3-1 game.
The Cubs got a huge boost with the very next batters as Bogaerts was rung up on a pitch that appeared to be just below the bottom of the zone, leading to an animated conversation with the home plate umpire.
Keller then hit designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn and pinch hitter Bryce Johnson with pitches, bringing Jake Cronenworth to the plate and pitcher Andrew Kittredge to the mound.
Cronenworth grounded a slow roller to Matt Shaw, who was able to throw him out at first base for the second out, bringing the tying run into scoring position and the pesky Fermin to the plate. Fortunately, Kittredge induced him to fly out, allowing the Cubs to advance.
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