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Cubs must win Game 3 to keep title hopes alive
The Chicago Cubs are on the brink of elminiation after two tough losses to the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS.
The Chicago Cubs have their backs against the wall. They’re down 1-2 in the National League Division Series.
They don’t have a choice. With the stress of needing to make plays to keep their season alive, the Cubs did that on Wednesday.
They hope to weaponize that combination of emotions again tomorrow, too.
"It’s fun and stressful in the same sentence, in the same light," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. "You feel both emotions a lot."
Thankfully, the Cubs have someone making history on their side.
Big picture view:
Michael Busch isn’t just doing great things. He made MLB history on Wednesday.
Busch is the first player in MLB history to hit multiple lead-off homers in a single postseason series, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Not AL or NL, MLB.
He hit a lead-off home run again on Wednesday to open Game 3 after leading off Game 1 with a home run last Saturday.
"That just adds so much comfort in the rest of the inning," Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said.
Busch’s lead-off home run was a part of a nine-batter first-inning for the Cubs. They went through the entire order, shook starter Quinn Priester and chased him from the first inning.
Crow-Armstrong broke through with a two-RBI single that made it 3-0. The Cubs rode that momentum for most of the game before the Brewers made it interesting again.
That momentum came because Busch just decided to keep his aggressive at-bat approach when leading off the game.
"I thought, why change what I do?" Busch said. "Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn’t. But, I was happy to get it going."
Early runs on the board have given the Cubs’ early life. In these playoffs, offense hasn’t been easy to come by. Busch has been giving the Cubs something to hold on to early.
That parlayed into success in the NL Wild Card series, and it’s working again in the NLDS.
"It’s not easy to do," Counsell said. "He’s put us off to a great start."
There’s a good chance the Cubs might need that again on Thursday. The Cubs will face elimination yet again. So far, in two elimination games, the Cubs have won.
"Every run is so hard to come by, we put together that really beautiful inning," Counsell said. "If that gives you an advantage, you try to use it as much as you can."
What we know:
Both the Cubs and Brewers haven’t announced their starters for Thursday. Counsell said he needed to have one more conversation before making that call.
Game time will either be at 8:08 CT or 6:08 CT, depending on if the Phillies win or lose against the Dodgers on Wednesday evening
Regardless, the Cubs are still alive.
"You’re playing tomorrow," Counsell said. "That can’t help but give you something."