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NLDS Game 2 Recap: Showed Up

In Game One, the Cubs were pulled back into reality a bit after experiencing the highs that come with winning a win-or-die game against Gerrit Cole. John Lackey completely shut the Cubs offense down, Jon Lester performed valiantl, but the Cardinals got their timely hits in, and Pedro Strop had another meltdown against a team that has haunted him all season.

Strop’s personal ghosts haven’t been exercised, but the Cubs got one step closer to putting some demons to rest with a playoff win against the hated Cardinals. Saturday night it was the Cardinals who kicked the ball around the infield. It was Yadier Molina who was caught napping in a playoff game as he failed to back up first on a failed turn of an attempted double play. It was Jaime Garcia who had to leave the game early with a stomach virus. It was Brandon Moss who came up inches short of snagging a ball on the infield and missing a chance to cut down the lead runner, and it was the Cubs who took advantage of all those mistakes and put the Cardinals in their rearview mirror for a game and didn’t let them catch up.

The moments

Maddon’s ingenuity

Joe Maddon has become more “conservative” as it concerns the bullpen in recent years; he’s come a long way from his usage patterns in his early years with Tampa. Maddon is more reliant on his starters to work deep into games and he’s fallen into a more predictable pattern with his relievers. Over the course of the year, however, Maddon has shown creativity in a few respects. He has shown an ability to cover and mask for his backend starters with a quick hook, he’s shown an ability to construct lineups built to combat the opposing team’s starters, and Maddon loves him some moving runners.

Maddon called for a few safety squeeze attempts early in the game. Hendricks reached on a throwing error on one attempt and Addison Russell laid down another safety squeeze right after, applying uncomfortable pressure in the right situations.

Jorge Soler asks Where Ya At?

Remember him? The player with an insane physical profile who was hitting bombs in spring training a few years ago? The guy who’s bat cracks sound like dynamite blasts? The dude with a high-waist and low-rise pants, the dude who crushes mistakes and was forgotten because of his injuries and Kyle Schwarber’s new-car shine? Yeah that guy. He showed up tonight in a big way and effectively put the Cubs in a comfortable position with a two-run home run in that big five-run fifth inning.

Defensive Miscues for the Cardinals

Two key errors and some general sloppy play led to the Cardinals demise in game two. Kolten Wong’s error and Yadier Molina’s failure to back up first foreshadowed a long night for Saint Louis. The Cardinals looked off early and it cost them dearly.

Kyle Hendricks less Nate Dogg, more Puffy

This isn’t a comp to Puff Daddy the business man, he’s been insanely successful and generally knows what he’s doing. Hendricks tonight showed why he’s best suited to occasionally lend a verse or a grunted “yeah” rather than try to rhyme for a full track. Much like Puffy, Hendricks tends to get exposed the longer he’s forced to perform. The change and command were there for Hendricks but as the game wore on, the Cardinals started catching up to his stuff. He’s shown an ability to be a fine backend starter this past season, but anything more is asking too much.

What next

The Cubs have Jake Arrieta going in Game Three and there’s not much evidence that he’s going to stop launching spirit bombs towards home plate. Goku Arrieta has been up to the task (and more) all year and the Cubs look to be in good position to take a 2-1 series lead.

Lead photo courtesy of Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

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