Chicago Cubs are down – but they’re far from out in this NLCS showdown

The Chicago Cubs head back to Wrigley Field today ahead of Game 3 of the NLCS down 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. But they still have one more run in them.

When the fastball that Justin Turner drove out for a game-winning blast left John Lackey‘s hand, I closed my eyes and waited. In fact, I didn’t see it leave the bat – but I heard it – and knew immediately the Chicago Cubs faced a 2-0 series deficit.

Now we can go back-and-forth and beat the decisions from Game 2 into the ground. One of the best accounts of the evening’s misfortune comes to us from Brett over at Bleacher Nation – so check it out.

In short, Joe Maddon tapped veteran John Lackey instead of bringing in Wade Davis to get the critical ninth-inning outs. His 44-pitch, high-stress outing from Game 5 of the NLDS no-doubt played a big role in this decision, but, regardless, with how things played out, it’s a tough pill to swallow.

During the regular season, Lackey led the league in home runs allowed – so it’s only fitting Turner took him deep to bring Los Angeles within two wins of their first pennant since 1988. But there is a lot more to dig in on regarding Game 2 than just the final pitch of the night – a meatball served up to a dominant postseason performer.

No – I don’t agree with Maddon’s decision to use Lackey in that spot. But I also accept that he likely had information at his disposal that I – even today – do not. But that, in my mind, is not the only deciding factor in how Sunday night played out.

That, my friends, begins and ends with the Cubs’ offense.

Cold bats spelling doom for Cubs’ repeat hopes

As a team, Chicago went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position in Game 2. That’s right. Over the course of nine innings, this offense managed just two situations in which they had a runner in scoring position. Even worse, they struck out 12 times and walked just one time. In the first two games of the NLCS, the Cubs have a grand total of three runs – coming on two home runs.

Outside of that, the bats have been dead-silent.

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Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Willson Contreras looked downright-awful in Game 2. Bryant, the reigning National League MVP, didn’t appear to pick up a single pitch well all night.

Rich Hill, far from a power arm, was blowing 91 mph heaters past him with ease. Once he squared off against the Dodgers’ relievers, things only got worse for Bryant.

Chicago’s two-through-five hitters were brutally disappointing Sunday. They combined to go 0-for-15 with eight strikeouts. The only one of them to reach was Anthony Rizzo, who was hit by a pitch late. Other than that, they did not reach one time.

Bullpen trending up

So why should we bother having hope? Because after Game 1, the Cubs had two glaring problems – the offense and the bullpen. After Game 2, at least in my mind, they have one issue – the offense. Sure, Lackey served up an absolute bomb in the ninth, but, prior to that, the relievers handled their business.

Starter Jon Lester didn’t even make it through five – tossing 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball. He consistently failed to locate pitches, walking five on the night. From there, Carl Edwards Jr. turned in 1 1/3 scoreless innings, followed by a scoreless frame from Pedro Strop. Brian Duensing, for the most part, did what he needed to do before giving way to Lackey.

If the bullpen can continue trending up, it will certainly lend some peace of mind to Maddon and pitching coach Chris Bosio. For one more piece of reassurance, look back to last year’s NLCS matchup between these two teams.