So far, so good: Cubs take 2-0 lead in NLDS |
CHICAGO - So far, so good.
Chicago jumped on former teammate Jeff Samardzija early and held on for a 5-2 win over the San Francisco Giants to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-five NLDS on Saturday evening. Chicago was just 1-4 all-time in NLDS game twos but will a chance to advance on Monday. Dexter Fowler led off the game with a double to deep right, and Ben Zobrist put the Cubs up 1-0 with a RBI single. The Cubs added three more runs in the second off of Samardzija (0-1) when Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks hit a broken-bat single with the bases loaded to drive in two. Kris Bryant added another run with a single to left field that bounced out of the glove of a diving Hunter Pence. The Giants responded with two runs in the third off of MLB ERA leader Hendricks. Panik lead off the inning with a double, and Gregor Blanco, who pinched hit for Samardzija, followed with another double to put the Giants on the board. Brandon Belt's sac fly gave the Giants another run. In the fourth inning, Angel Pagan hit a liner off of Hendricks' forearm. Hendricks left the game and was replaced by Travis Wood. Initial X-rays were negative for Hendricks, and he said on the national tv broadcast he hopes to make his next start. "I'm going to do everything I can," Hendricks said. "Since the X-rays came back negative I'm happy about that. I'm just going to go with the feel. It feels good right now so hopefully it is a couple days, and hopefully I can make my next start." Wood (1-0) later hit a solo homer in the fifth inning which was only the second ever home run by a relief pitcher in postseason history. The Cubs bullpen pitched 5 1/3 innings of shutout baseball after the injury to Hendricks including a perfect ninth from Aroldis Champman for the save. The teams will have Sunday off to travel to San Francisco. First pitch on Monday will be 8:38 CT (TV:FS1) as the Cubs will send Jake Arrieta against Madison Bumgarner to try and clinch the series.
