Wade Davis carries Cubs to 9-8 win over Nats

In one of the most exciting yet flawed playoff games I ever seen, the Cubs defeated the Nationals 9-8 to win their playoff series 3-2. Cubs fans also passed the mantle of most woebegone baseball fans to the Washington Nationals fans. Take heart Nationals fans, if your suffering is like Cubs fans, you only have 100 years of suffering to go.

Who do you trust?

The ineptitude of the Cubs bullpen was on full display. Wade Davis went the final 2.1 innings to pick up the save. Davis gave up 2 hits and 2 walks along with 1 run, but ultimately recorded one of the guttiest saves I've seen. Carl Edwards Jr. came on in the 7^th inning, walked the only batter he faced and left the mound talking to himself. Going forward, that's not a good sign.

Jose Quintana pitched 0.2 and gave up a hit and a walk. While not being terribly effective, I wondered why Joe Maddon didn't stay with him longer. Mike Montgomery continued to stink, going 0.1 and giving up 2 hits and 2 walks. 

Brian Duensing managed to come out of the bullpen fiasco relatively unscathed, as did Pedro Strop. I expect to see Justin Wilson's picture on a milk carton. I'm not sure what it would take for Joe Maddon to put him in a game. What was especially puzzling to me is that even with Davis laboring a bit, Maddon didn't have Lackey and Wilson up in the pen.

It wasn't just the relievers

Kyle Hendicks started for the Cubs and gave up 4 runs in 4 innings, allowing 9 hits, including a solo home run to Daniel Murphy and a three run shot to Michael Taylor. That wasn't what I've come to expect from Hendricks in big games.

It Addys up

Addison Russell had the big hit for the Cubs, a two run double down the third base line in a bizarre 4 run 5^th inning. The hit came of Nationals ace, Max Scherzer, who came in at the start of the fifth when the Nats had a 4-3. Max ultimately gave up 4 runs, 2 earned and was the victim of some of the strangest plays I've seen in playoff, or even baseball for that matter. Javy Baez reached base on a third strike passed ball. Nats catcher, Matt Weiters, compounded his error when he threw the ball into right field while trying to throw Baez out at first. The fact that Baez's back swing hit him in the head might have had something to do with it.

Strange days indeed

That play probably should have been a dead ball when Baez's back swing hit Weiters in the head. I will say that Weiters had failed to block the ball before he was hit. Also, I don't believe his position was altered a bit by the fact he was trying to block the pitch.

In addition, the Cubs were also the beneficiaries of a catcher's interference and John Jay being hit by pitch with the bases loaded. In totality, it was one of the strangest innings I;ve ever seen.

Assist, Contreras

Special note must be made of the fact that with two out and two in the Nationals 8^th inning Willson Contreras picked Joe Labatone off first. Wade Davis was visibly laboring at the time and Contreras' play was a huge pick me up. Initially Lobatone was called safe, but the call was overturned on review.

Why Dusty keeps a job

While Dusty Baker doesn't get high marks for his in game decisions, he gets two thumbs up for facing reporters after the game. Baker understandable seemed drained, but didn't cop out by complaining about bad luck or bad calls. It seems like what Lou Pinella referred to as Cubbie Occurrence are now Nationals Occurrences. Baker is no longer under contract so it will be interesting to see if the Nationals bring him back.

These aren't your father's Cubs. It seems like the Nationals ARE your father's Cubs.