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GAME 129 RECAP: DODGERS 1 CUBS 0

There’s a last time for everything, so they say. On Sunday afternoon, the legendary Vin Scully called his final Cubs game in his 67-year career, even taking over the Cubs broadcast for the entire third inning.

There’s a first time for everything, so they say. Dodgers starter Brock Stewart recorded his first big league hit at the plate, knocking a line drive single in the third inning. He and four other Dodger hurlers threw a combined shutout while holding the mighty Cubs offense only four base hits, two apiece by Kris Bryant and Jason Heyward, while striking out 10. 

The Cubs pitching performed well, too. Limiting the Dodgers to matching four base hits and struck out even more, 12. But their effort fell short after a series of crucial mistakes.

Top Play (WPA): For the Cubs offense that seemed to have taken a Sunday off, the red-hot Kris Bryant continued to excel, going 2-for-3 with a walk in four plate appearances. His double leading off the sixth put himself in scoring position with no out gave the Cubs a great chance to score (+0.098). But they failed to execute the opportunity and stranded him at third.

Bottom Play (WPA): A pair of fatal errors in the bottom of the eighth cost the Cubs the game. First, Trevor Cahill threw away Howie Kendrick’s slow roller, making it runners on the corners with one out. After an intentional walk, pitching change, and a strikeout, Carl Edwards Jr. induced what seemed to be an inning-ending grounder. Javier Baez, who fielded the grounder, tossed the ball to second baseman Ben Zobrist for a force out. But due to the shift, Zobrist was positioning farther away from the bag than usual, and got there late, allowing Corey Seager to beat him by a microsecond.  Second base umpire Alfonso Marquez spread his arms wide. In slow motion, Seager may have looked out, but there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn the call. Thus the Dodgers scored the game’s only run (-.259). Given it was Adrian Gonzalez running to first, Baez would’ve had a certain shot had he thrown to first. You’ve gotta know who’s running.

Key Moment: In the top of the sixth, Addison Russell stepped up to the plate with Bryant on third and Zobrist on first with one out. He took the first two offerings from Jesse Chavez for balls, fouling off the third.  He let the next pitch, which looked an inch or two off, pass by for another ball, but Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal framed it into the zone, forcing home umpire David Rackley to call strike two. After fouling off two more pitches, Russell popped out to first, failed to drive Bryant in. Had the fourth pitch been a ball, there would have been a better chance Chavez threw the following pitch to the heart of the plate, or walked him to load the bases. It was a quintessential example of how having an elite framer behind the plate influences a team in a positive way. In this case, it was the Dodgers who got the benefit.

Trend to watch: After being sidelined for four games last weekend, Jason Heyward’s bat seems to have taken back the missing beat. In the six game since being benched, J-Hey has gone 8-for-23 with a pair of doubles and a homer. If the Cubs’ 184 million dollar man does get back to his old self, he’d be a major boost for the club’s run in the final month of the regular season and beyond.

Coming next: The Cubs fly back home to face the Pirates, who are a half a game back of the second Wild Card. However, Gerrit Cole, the Bucs’ best arm, will miss his scheduled start Monday due to right elbow soreness to be examined in Los Angeles. Instead, the Pirates will send out Steve Brault, who’ve spent the better part of the season in AAA to the starting mound to face Jake Arrieta. The game will be on air on WGN and 670 the score for 8:05 CST start time.

Lead photo courtesy Gary A.Vazquez—USA Today Sports

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