Rapid Recap, National League Championship Series Game 3: Mets 5, Cubs 2

They're going to play another game tomorrow night. It probably won't matter, but they're still going to play.

Tonight the Mets took a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series by defeating the Cubs 5-2 tonight. And in what is certainly going to go down in Cubs lore as yet another one of those "cursed" moments, the eventual winning run scored on a strikeout while two were out.

The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks gave up an RBI double to Yoenis Cespedes, scoring David Wright. But the Cubs got that run back when Kyle Schwarber took a pitch in the bottom of the first that was ten and a half inches outside and he lined it into the left-center field bleachers.

(I hate to complain about the strike zone because it sounds like an excuse. But the strike zone has been terrible all series. Schwarber probably had to swing at that one.)

The Mets retook the lead in the third inning when Daniel Murphy, who will go down in Cubs postseason lore with Will Clark for being stupid hot at the Cubs expense, hit a home run in his fifth straight playoff game. Unlike the other home runs when Murphy punished pretty good pitches, this one was a sinker from Hendricks that stayed way up in the zone.

The Cubs haven't been able to get much offense going outside of the home run, and Jorge Soler tied it up in the fourth inning with a solo shot. But then in the sixth inning, the Cubs fell behind again on the dropped third strike. After a leadoff single by Cespedes, he went to second on a bunt and then stole third. Cubs reliever Trevor Cahill got Travis d'Arnaud to ground out to third and with the infield in, Cespedes couldn't score. But then came the strikeout of Michael Conforto on a nasty changeup that bounced in the dirt and past Montero.

The next batter, Wilmer Flores, hit a line drive right at Soler in right field and he pretty much fell down trying to catch it, rather than play it on the bounce. The ball then went skidding through the outfield and was lodged in the ivy for a ground-rule double. Mets manager Terry Collins decided to scream at the umpires over this. According to the TBS announcers, he wanted the umpire to ask for help. But this isn't a judgement call. if the ball is lodged in the ivy, it's a double and the runners advance two bases. Anyone who has ever played at Wrigley knows this. Except Terry Collins, I guess.

The Mets tacked on two runs in the seventh. Just to add my two cents to the grounder to first that Murphy scored the fifth run on: I don't think Rizzo had much choice than to step on the bag and I don't think it cost him the play at the plate. An absolute perfect throw in that situation might have gotten Murphy. But he was probably going to score no matter what.

The Cubs went down meekly after that. As if the metaphor couldn't get any worse, it started to rain in the ninth inning.

We all know the situation here. Only once in baseball history has a team come back down 3-0 in a seven-game series and won. At least the Cubs front office is familiar with that one. I'm not going to give up, but I am realistic. But as long as the Cubs still have an out, they still have a chance. A tiny chance, but a chance.

Talk about this game in the here. Vent. Curse the injury to Addison Russell. Curse Daniel Murphy.  Curse the baseball gods. Just don't curse each other. I know we're all unhappy around here. Don't make it worse. We need support, not insults.

And the Cubs will win tomorrow. Just believe. It can't hurt.