ST. LOUIS -- The Chicago Cubs evened the NLDS with the St. Louis Cardinals 1-1 by taking advantage of a five-run second inning to win 6-3 on Saturday. All the runs were unearned, thanks to a terrible decision and a throwing error by Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia. The Cubs squeeze bunted on back-to-back plays, which plated two runs, with one coming on the indecisive sequence by Garcia, who left the game after the second because of a stomach virus.
Jorge Soler homered to center with a man on to put the exclamation point on the inning. Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks gave up three solo home runs before being pulled with two outs in the fourth, but the Cubs' bullpen came up big by throwing 4 1/3 scoreless innings, including 2 1/3 by Travis Wood, who gave up just a single. He was followed by Trevor Cahill, then Hector Rondon, who earned the save.
Thumbs up: Soler’s postseason debut has been magnificent. After he walked as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning in Game 1, he followed with a double, home run and two more walks in Game 2. This year, he hasn’t always shown the plate discipline he was known for while coming up through the minors, but so far in the postseason, his approach has been solid.
Wood and Cahill also get thumbs up. Both struggled early in the year in their various roles but have come up big for the Cubs down the stretch.
Thumbs down: Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo continue to struggle in the middle of the Cubs' lineup. They were hitless again, which makes them a combined 0-for-21 in the postseason, though Rizzo did draw a walk and line a ball to third base for an out. Bryant is hitting more ground balls than is his norm.
What’s next: The series moves on to Chicago, where Jake Arrieta awaits the Cardinals in Game 3 on Monday. He’s in the midst of a 31-inning scoreless streak, including a complete-game shutout of the Pittsburgh Pirates in Wednesday’s wild-card affair. The Cardinals counter with Michael Wacha, who won 17 games, but Arrieta is pitching on a level unseen during a second half of a major league season. The advantage in the series has turned squarely in the Cubs' favor.