The Colorado Rockies defeated the Chicago Cubs by a score of 2-1 after 13 innings of play
Early offense
Jon Lester walked lead off batter Charlie Blackmon to begin the ballgame. DJ LeMahieu hit for a ground rule double to the ivy. Lester struggled on the mound as there were already two men on base with no outs on the very first inning. Nolan Arenado helped the Rockie cause with a sacrifice fly to centerfield, bringing Blackmon home to give Colorado the 1-0 lead. Colorado left a man on base by the end of the first frame.
Lester was still getting hit hard an inning later. Nonetheless, he retired the side in order
Pitching duel
As the game moved along, both Lester and Kyle Freeland settled in mound as pitching and defense became a key factor in the game. Despite their offensive efforts, the Cubs were unable to tie the score. They left plenty of men on base and were not capable of mounting any type of rally against Colorado. Lester had no run support while holding the Rockies to a one run lead. Colorado seemed to be in control of the game as they were headed to a tight one run victory. However, things changed during the late innings.
Holding on for dear life
Freeland left the game after 6.2 innings pitched, 4 hits allowed and half a dozen strikeouts as Adam Ottavino came into relief. The story was much more different for the Rockies once Ottavino took the mound. He barely managed to keep the score intact as the Cubs left the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning. Colorado’s reliever would not be so lucky an inning later.
Anthony Rizzo singled to center with two outs in the eighth inning. Rizzo was immediately replaced by pinch runner Terrance Gore. Gore stole second base without a problem. Javier Baez doubled to centerfield a pitch later. Gore made it home and the score was tied at one. Ottavino’s night was over as closer Wade Davis came in to the game to get the final out of the inning. Cubs were still alive.
Free baseball
Pedro Strop replaced Randy Rosario on the mound for the Cubs in the top of the ninth. Strop did not have much of a problem as he kept the score tied while the Rockies left a man on base. Davis gave a walk to catcher Willson Contreras on the bottom of the ninth inning. Despite the walk, he hanged the zero in the ninth frame.
With the scoreboard still reading 1-1 the game was headed to extra innings.
An Unexpected Hero
Kyle Hendricks was brought to the game at the top of the thirteenth inning, hoping to keep the score tied at one. Things sailed smooth for the Cubs’ pitcher at first as the first two outs were not much of a hassle. He retired LeMahieu and Arenado in a flyout and a groundout respectively. Hendricks was two-thirds out of the inning when shortstop Trevor Story singled to left field. Outfielder Gerardo Parra did the same allowing Story to reach third base. Things still looked relatively under control as two men were already out. Nonetheless catcher Tony Wolters changed the game with swing of the bat. Wolters, who had only played 74 games during the regular season and had a batting an average of .170, delivered the final blow of the game. He singled on a ground ball to centerfield allowing Story to score. Rockies won 2-1.
Colorado will play Milwaukee on game 1 of the NLDS this Thursday at 5:07 P.M E.T on TBS.