WHEW. Just so much whew.
From the early tense moments for Jose Quintana to the Curtis Granderson two-run homer to make it a game again to the two-on, nobody-out 9th inning, that was just one big game full of WHEW. After allowing the first two to reach in the 9th, Pedro Strop got a pop out, a groundout, and a strikeout to end it. WHEW. And also WOO.
It’s a series loss for the Cubs, sure, but it feels a lot better than that. When you factor in who the Cubs were playing and the game that came before, that may have been the most “relieving” win of the year so far.
Jose Quintana was uneven, but overall pitched well tonight when the Cubs needed it. Need a big September win in Milwaukee? Apparently Quintana is your guy.
The bats did enough to take advantage of the opportunities given, and every positional starter had at least one hit. (Be advised that Kyle Schwarber was pulled from the game shortly after his homer and he didn’t quite look right trotting the bases, so we’ll see what that’s about.) Three-hit nights for the two “professional hitters” on the team, and another multi-hit effort from Anthony Rizzo.
Good times tonight, all things considered.