NEWSLETTER
Had I been in a position to write this EBS immediately after the Cubs’ loss, I probably would have let loose a string of words that I’d rather not see published on this website. Hooray for time and distance.
Like a fool, by the time the Cubs reached the 8th inning with a 3-1 lead, I was already starting to think about the implications of a 2-0 series lead for the Cubs coming back to Wrigley Field. The odds of the Cubs losing three straight were so very low, I told myself with a smile, that it was looking like a third straight trip to the NLCS was already ordained.
And then that f**king 8th inning.
Jon Lester pitched very well tonight, even as he wasn’t a beast on the strikeout front, it wasn’t like he was getting smoked. So with things setting up for the Cubs to then go to their final three relievers to close out the game with a two run lead, I was feeling irrationally good.
You idiot.
I know it’s going to be a conversation tomorrow, and I’ll dig in with a clearer head to see if I missed something, but, as I sit here tonight, I don’t really have a beef with any bullpen decision Joe Maddon made. It just happened that Carl Edwards, Jr. threw a terrible hanger to Bryce Harper, and Mike Montgomery gave up the smallest margin homer possible to Ryan Zimmerman.
And I sat quietly for a while after that.
Not but a hand or two worth of hours ago, I was talking about how a split in D.C. was a win for the Cubs, because that’s a very good outcome when you go on the road against a favored team. But I also knew, even then, that if it actually came to pass, I was going to be pissed. However the Cubs lose, it’s going to hack you off. And when they do it with a late blown lead, well, that’s just about as bad as it gets.
Here’s hoping they don’t carry this one with them for tomorrow’s off-day the same way that I probably will.
