Matt Shaw breaks out with 2 hits
Matt Shaw entered Thursday hitless in five at-bats with four walks in the first three games of the National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.
He broke out in Game 4 with two hits, including a crucial RBI single in the sixth inning of the 6-0 victory at Wrigley Field.
The third baseman was 2 for 3 with a walk and an RBI. He is 2 for 15 with five walks in the postseason.
“You want to help the team any way you can, especially in October,” Shaw said. “Being able to go out there and have a better game was really nice. »
The Cubs led 3-0 in the sixth when Shaw struck with runners on first and second with one out. Reliever Aaron Ashby took the lead in the 0-2 count and threw a low curveball. Shaw connected and drove the ball to center for the RBI single.
“I was just trying to stay aggressive in the two-strike count,” Shaw said. “Don’t be too passive. And grab something in front.
“And I recognized that early on. It definitely wasn’t a good field to jump into, but I was capable of getting the job done. So that was good.”
Manager Craig Counsell said it was the type of success Shaw has provided time and time again.
“It’s just to put the ball in play and see what happens on a hit,” Counsell said. “But he stayed in the lineup because his defense was really good. And in low-scoring environments, that’s important.
“But obviously offensively, to contribute, you feel so much better when you sleep at night.”
Offer relief
The Cubs called on reliever Daniel Palencia with two outs in the fifth inning. They led 3-0, but the Brewers had runners on second and third with Jackson Chourio at the plate.
“I was mentally ready,” Palencia said.
Chourio swung the right-hander’s first pitch and hit a popup to shortstop Dansby Swanson for the final out of the inning.
“Thank God everything went well,” Palencia said.
Column: The Chicago Cubs flip the script on the Brewers – and now it’s back to Milwaukee for a spot in the NLCS
Palencia allowed one hit in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. He was credited with the victory after following starter Matthew Boyd, who allowed two hits in 4 2/3 scoreless innings.
“He’s been great all year,” Palencia said of Boyd. “He’s always giving me advice. The last home run I gave up (to Chourio in Game 2), he said, ‘Brother, we’re going to need you.’ And right now, it feels good to be there for him. I told him, “I support you.” It feels good.
Another day, another home run
Michael Busch provided Thursday’s exclamation point with a solo home run in the eighth inning.
In doing so, he became the first Cubs hitter to hit at least four home runs in a single postseason since Kyle Schwarber hit five in 2015.
“It’s been fun,” said Busch, who also hit leadoff home runs in Games 1 and 3 of the NLDS as well as a solo shot in the seventh inning of Game 3 of the wild-card series against the San Diego Padres. “I just try to have a good shot every time I go out there.
“Up and down the lineup, that’s the kind of work we’re creating. It’s fun when things work in this lineup, it’s really good, really deep, the guys on the bench — we’ve done a really good job the last few days.”
One at-bat, two replays for Carson Kelly
The Cubs catcher circled the bases in the seventh inning for what was initially thought to be a two-run homer to left field. But after a video review, the call was overturned.
“I thought I hit it past the post, but apparently I didn’t,” Kelly said.
The at-bat continued and Kelly hit a grounder to stop Joey Ortiz, who first turned toward second base before throwing to first. Kelly was called on a close play and the Cubs challenged the call. After further review, the appeal was upheld.
“I was really tired from running on the bases (on the near home run) and then I was, what, half a step away from being out at first,” Kelly joked. “There’s got to be a record for that, right? Two replays in one at-bat.
He continued with a laugh: “Both turned on me. It’s like a kick in the face. But we won and you live to fight another day.”
