Game 3 of the NLCS is underway, and we are officially two innings in. We have all commented on what the Chicago Cubs should do. Here is what they ARE doing.
First Inning
Top of the first inning contained no drama. The Chicago Cubs went down in order. The Dodgers’ starting pitcher Rich Hill got one curveball over for a strike, and no batter chased. Hill did get a strikeout off of Kris Bryant, who let a 94 MPH fastball go without a swing.
Arrieta just missed the edges of the plate. He did allow a hit to left field to Corey Seager, but no runs. It was interesting to see Seager not take a large lead and get in Arrieta’s head.
3-D Jake Arrieta #Cubs pic.twitter.com/G82IGWCn3q
— CubsHQ.com (@ChicagoCubsHQ) October 19, 2016
Corey Seager: first player with a hit off Arrieta at Dodger Stadium since Nick Punto (8/26/2013) #Cubs
— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) October 19, 2016
Second Inning
Anthony Rizzo battled a walk out of Hill to start the second. Javier Baez worked a 3-2 count and popped up. For some reason, Hill kept throwing to first base four time. After a meeting between Hill and Gonzalez, Rizzo stole second. Jorge Soler walked as well. Addison Russell‘s struggles and strikes out, even though a passed ball moved runners to second and third. And Montero grounded out. No runs.
Tough to come away from that inning without a run. If we have to look for a positive, the #Cubs rattled Rich Hill and ran up pitch count
— ViewFromTheBleachers (@vftb) October 19, 2016
Hill is not finding the zone with the curve, and the Cubs are not offering. However, Cubs are not attacking the fastball. He threw 11 pitches in the first inning and added 29 more in the second.
#Cubs put Rich Hill on the ropes in the 2nd & come up empty...#CubsTalk
— Ryan McGuffey (@RyanMcGuffey) October 19, 2016
As for the bottom of the second, a well-rested Arrieta worked a 3-0 count on Reddick into a flyout. Dexter Fowler made the catch but collided into Soler. Both take Taylor Swift’s advice and shake it off. No worries. Arrieta finished off the inning with two strikeouts, ensuring no one else collided.
Corey Seager: first player with a hit off Arrieta at Dodger Stadium since Nick Punto (8/26/2013) #Cubs
— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) October 19, 2016
Twitter Talk?
So, what is everyone talking about on Twitter? Joe Buck. I will let you investigate.