Cubs' high-stakes Game 3 win may have come at a fatal cost

By the skin of their teeth, the Chicago Cubs survived in Game 3 of the NLDS against the rival Milwaukee Brewers, earning the right to play at least one more postseason game this year.

Like the previous contest, Game 4 will be played in front of a raucous Wrigley Field crowd, giving the Cubs a distinct home-field advantage in yet another elimination game (it's their third of the postseason at home).

However, unlike Game 3, Thursday night's affair won't be played with a fresh roster after a day off. Craig Counsell had to deploy the bullpen cavalry aggressively to win, and that could have some serious adverse effects in Game 4.

Cubs' exhausted bullpen may have to do even more in Game 4 after Game 3 heroics

After Jameson Taillon left his start after four innings, Counsell went to all of his high-leverage relievers to close out the Game 3 victory. Each of Drew Pomeranz, Daniel Palencia, Andrew Kittredge, Caleb Thielbar, and Brad Keller faced pressure moments, and they'll be counted on to do so again for the remainder of the series.

They all threw somewhere between 10-20 pitches on the night, which means they should be available for Game 4 if needed. But Palencia and Pomeranz also pitched in Game 2, and it's a simple fact that the more times a reliever has to face the same team (and especially the same hitters), the larger the advantage grows for the batters.

Luckily, Aaron Civale and Michael Soroka should be ready to handle bulk innings if necessary, but those aren't the guys you want on the mound in high-leverage situations. That aforementioned quintet is going to have to handle a heavy load if the Cubs are going to complete their historic comeback.

Now, there are some good counterarguments for the optimistically-inclined, though they don't negate the fact that Craig Counsell's circle of trust is surely exhausted.

First, the scheduling of this series has been wildly favorable to the Cubs. Up until Thursday, there's been an off-day between each game in the series, and if Chicago can pull out another victory, there will be yet another day off before a winner-takes-all Game 5 in Milwaukee. That amount of rest between games is why Counsell has been able to go to his most trusted guys in the bullpen consistently.

Also, it's not like the Brewers haven't had to dig into their bullpen. They used five relievers after Quinn Priester's disastrous outing in Game 3, including Jose Quintana and Chad Patrick. Their options will also be somewhat limited tonight.

Of course, the real concern is the starting pitching matchup. It appears that Freddy Peralta and Matthew Boyd will reprise their Game 1 roles -- on normal rest this time, thanks to the generous playoff scheduling -- giving the Brewers a distinct advantage right out of the gates. Remember, Peralta completed 5 2/3 inning of one-run ball in Game 1, while Boyd couldn't escape the opening frame. Expect a similarly tight leash on the Cubs' southpaw this time around, putting further pressure on the overused bullpen.

Given that Game 3 (and all future games in this series) was an elimination game, Craig Counsell had to empty the tank. There was no other choice; the season was over otherwise. But, if you're wondering what the cost of losing the first two games of a best-of-five series in, you're seeing it in action right now. The margin for error has disappeared, and the Cubs are left to over-rely on their most impactful arms.