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Morning Marquee: Chicago Cubs set to clinch NLCS home-field advantage
By David Miniel
It has been a great week for the Chicago Cubs who completed a three-game sweep over the Cincinnati Reds. Yesterday’s game saw Kris Bryant and Dexter Fowler going deep. Meanwhile, Miguel Montero added a few runs the easy way.
And it felt good watching the Chicago Cubs continue to dominate the Reds who have had little luck against the division champs. Bryant, who once led the N.L. in home runs, inched closer to Nolan Arenado.
Not to mention, the two RBI tallied in his 38th home run of the year tied his career high. Yes, he did make his big league debut in 2015 but it’s great to see him improving. The scary thing is, Bryant is going to get better over time.
Which is bad news for opposing teams who will match-up against the Chicago Cubs. Especially the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals, St. Louis Cardinals, or even New York Mets.
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Depending on the team who clinches and wins the N.L. Wild Card playoff game. The winner will travel to the Windy City to take on the Cubs in the opening round. Either way, the Cubs are in great shape after dropping their weekend series to Milwaukee.
A series that was disappointing, to say the least, considering the fact that they had just clinched the division. Granted, them winning the Central came on a loss and a Giants win over the Cardinals, but hey, division champions at the end of the day.
Sigh of Relief
Yet while the offense continued to jump all over Cincinnati’s pitching staff, John Lackey turned in a fantastic performance. Lackey gave up two earned runs on five hits and struck out a handful prior to exiting the game.
John hit a rough streak where he was unable to win an outing. So coming up with a victory in a series-sweeping game has to feel good for the seasoned veteran. There is a chance that he may not make an appearance during the National League Division Series.
Next: Montero, Bryant lead Cubs over Reds
For now, it depends on what Joe Maddon is going to want to do. He’ll more than likely lead with Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jake Arrieta, and save Jason Hammel and Lackey as anchors.
Only time will tell. Now, with that being said, the Chicago Cubs have themselves a much-deserved off-day. Starting Friday, they will host the Cardinals for a three-game weekend set. A series in which Chicago could clinch home-field advantage in the NLCS.