Soler's smash, Cardinals' sloppy 2nd help Cubs even NLDS
Aided by some shaky defense and a timely home run, the Chicago Cubs tallied five unearned runs off Jaime Garcia in the second inning Saturday, chasing the left-hander early en route to a 6-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals to even the National League Division Series at one game apiece.
Jorge Soler, absent from the lineup in Friday's series opener, smashed a two-out, two-run homer to cap the five-run outburst, while the Cubs' bullpen hurled 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Kyle Hendricks to secure the franchise's first postseason victory since 2003.
Top performer: Slotted into the lineup in lieu of fellow rookie Kyle Schwarber, Soler celebrated the first postseason start of his young career by refusing to get out, going 2-for-2 with a homer, a double, and a pair of walks before being replaced by Chris Denorfia for defensive purposes. Soler, 23, is just the eighth player in history to receive four plate appearances in his first ever playoff start without being retired.
Starting pitchers: Jaime Garcia's first postseason start since 2012 didn't go as planned, as the 29-year-old allowed five runs - all of them, unearned - before departing after the second inning with a stomach virus. It was his throwing error, too, with runners on the corners in the second that keyed the Cubs' five-run outburst capped by Soler's two-run bomb. Kyle Hendricks, meanwhile, mostly cruised through the first four innings, striking out seven after allowing a leadoff homer to Matt Carpenter, but was yanked with outs in the fifth following back-to-back homers by Kolten Wong and Randal Grichuk.
| PITCHER | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hendricks | 4.2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| Garcia | 2 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Turning Point: Though Soler will get the glory, some keen strategizing from manager Joe Maddon moments prior - wherein he called for consecutive safety squeezes from Hendricks and Addison Russell - got Chicago on the board and put the youngster in position to be the hero. Hendricks' squeeze attempt with runners on the corners, after all, led to Garcia's throwing error and evened the game at 1-1, while Russell's sacrifice in the following at-bat turned the lineup order while also giving the Cubs the lead.
Up Next: The two division rivals will get the day off Sunday before resuming play Monday in Chicago for Game 3, the first postseason contest at Wrigley Field since 2008. Michael Wacha, the 24-year-old right-hander who earned his first career All-Star appearance this season, will start for St. Louis. The Cubs will counter with Cy Young candidate Jake Arrieta, who crafted a 0.75 ERA over his final 15 starts of the regular season and fanned 11 in a complete-game shutout of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL wild-card game.