CHICAGO (670 The Score) — Tension filled every section of Wrigley Field late Wednesday evening as the Cubs sought the elusive final outs of an eventual 4-3 victory over the Brewers in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.
Playoff baseball doesn’t come easy, and that’s certainly how the Cubs have played it this year. In a must-win game, they scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning to secure an early lead at 4-1, then fought all evening to make it hold up.
The Cubs’ backs were against the wall entering Wednesday after they had dropped the first two games of the best-of-five series. And their backs were against the wall throughout the game.
They’re still alive, at least for another day.
“I mean, it’s fun and stressful in the same sentence, in the same light, and I think you feel both emotions a lot,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “But you’re playing to play tomorrow, and that can’t help but give you something else, right? It has to. And I thought we played with that urgency.
“You have to play like that, kind of pull out all the stops, and if that gives you an advantage, you try to use that as much as you can.”
The Cubs embraced that mindset last Thursday at Wrigley Field in earning a hard-fought 3-1 victory over the Padres in a winner-take-all Game 3 of the National League wild-card round. They’re now 2-0 in elimination games this postseason, and they'll need two more wins in a row over the Brewers to advance to the NLCS.
Cubs first baseman Michael Busch – who was moved to the top spot in the lineup back in July – blasted his second lead-off home run of the series. It evened the score at one run apiece after Busch lost an infield pop-up in the sun during the top of the first inning, leading to the Brewers scoring a run on a sacrifice fly.
The Cubs’ most important hit of the night came with two outs in the bottom of the first inning. Struggling center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong ripped a two-run single to right field that gave Chicago a 3-1 lead.
“That’s a big at-bat, a big swing,” Busch said of Crow-Armstrong's single. “That’s what we’re trying to do as a club, is put guys on, put pressure on them. Sometimes we’re going to come through, sometimes we might not, but just passing the baton and keep putting pressure on them. I feel like we have a lot of trust in our guys in the lineup, guys on the bench to come through in those situations.”
Doing that consistently could lead the Cubs deep into the postseason, but they haven't accomplished it often enough so far.
Through six playoff games, the Cubs are 3-for-26 with runners in scoring position. Crow-Armstrong has two of those hits.
“He has come through huge for us,” Busch said. “And he’s done that all year. He’s a big reason for why we’re where we are.”
Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon worked four innings Wednesday, allowing two earned runs. He had pitched four shutout innings in the Game 3 victory over the Padres last Thursday.
Counsell once again leaned on his bullpen for the final 15 outs of the game. That included four outs from closer Brad Keller, who signed with the Cubs as a minor league free agent in January and has transformed into one of the club's most important pitchers.
Shortly after the Cubs celebrated their victory, Counsell wasn’t sure whom he would hand the ball to as the Game 4 starter Thursday, nor was he clear on which relief pitchers would be available. Counsell won’t know the status of his pitchers until his players arrive back at the ballpark Thursday, he said.
What he did know is the Cubs lived to fight another day as their backs remain against the wall.
“We got more ball to play,” Crow-Armstrong said.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.