Wow. Before we say anything else, are we big enough sports fans to say that was a thrilling final few innings? I think I can squeeze it out.
Today, it was the Cubs’ turn to play the extra-inning heartbreak kid, with Travis Shaw hitting a two-run, walk-off homer off of Wade Davis after the Cubs had scored in the top of the 10th inning to take a 3-2 lead. That, itself, came after Davis had allowed a 9th inning, game-tying solo homer by Orlando Arcia. Yup, it was Davis’s first blown save of the season, which underscores how hard it is to go 32 for 32. One pitch and one hard swing, and it was over.
The the noon-after-a-night-extra-innings game yielded pretty much nothing in the way of offense, though the bats aren’t necessarily all to blame, as the pitchers in this one managed contact extremely well. And hey, Justin Wilson looked really good in a tied game, so at least there was that.
The one extra-base hit in the entire game before Arcia’s homer was an 8th inning double by Ian Happ, who also drove in the Cubs’ first run with a two-out single. Happ scored on a Kris Bryant sac fly to temporarily give the Cubs a 2-1 lead.
But that’s when things got all thrilling in the 9th and 10th, and the Brewers come away feeling all happy and warm and fuzzy. Good for them. I am going to remind myself of what I said this morning: the Cubs already “won” this series by ensuring a split with the first two wins.
Would have been great to beat them again today, but I’m not going to dump on Davis for getting extended a bit and giving up his first game of the year.