Hernandez belts 3 HRs; Dodgers win NL pennant

CHICAGO -- By the time Enrique Hernandez stepped to the plate in the ninth inning on Thursday night, Game 5 of the National League Championship Series was already a blur.

By the time the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated in a champagne-soaked room after clinching their first pennant since 1988, Hernandez -- who had sparked an 11-1 victory over the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs with three home runs -- was still foggy on the details on how the Dodgers had arrived in their celebratory moment.

Hernandez, whose three homers included a grand slam, drove in seven runs, providing Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw with more than enough offensive support to land Los Angeles in the World Series for the first time in 29 years.

"It's unbelievable," Hernandez said. "It's amazing."

Los Angeles closed out the NL Championship Series in five games. The Dodgers will face either the New York Yankees or Houston Astros in the World Series, with Game 1 scheduled for Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.

Staked to an early comfortable lead, Kershaw (1-0) allowed one run, three hits and a walk while striking out five in six innings.

Hernandez capped the scoring in the ninth inning with a two-run blast as the Los Angeles left fielder tied a league championship series record with his seven RBIs.

"Tonight was his night to shine, and Clayton started the night and throwing a gem," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "For him to start and pitch the way he did, and for (Hernandez) to have a huge night -- three homers tonight -- just providing so much energy for us, and we fed off that tonight."

The Dodgers scored first for the first time in the series and jumped out to a 9-0 lead after three innings. Hernandez followed up his second-inning solo home run with a grand slam in the third after the Dodgers loaded the bases off Cubs starter Jose Quintana with four straight hits.

After Quintana was lifted in the third, reliever Hector Rondon struck out Logan Forsythe for the first out of the inning. Hernandez then lifted his second homer of the night into the basket above the right field wall to break the game open.

Justin Turner, who was named NLCS co-most valuable player along with Chris Taylor, also had an RBI single in the inning.

"It's a different guy every single night," Turner said of the multiple contributions the Dodgers got offensively. "Literally, (it's) a different guy in the lineup making that big swing."

Quintana surrendered six runs on six hits in two-plus innings. He walked one and fanned one as the Cubs' season ended in the NLCS for the second time in three years.

"We started out with a target on our back last year...but we were able to go through the whole thing," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "(We) got the World Series under our belt. (We) came back this year and (were) met with some kind of mental adversity is the best way I could describe it. It's baseball adversity.

"I thought we did a great job of overcoming."

The Dodgers padded their lead in the fourth on Forsythe's two-run double off John Lackey.

Kris Bryant finally got the Cubs on the board in the fourth inning when he homered after Kershaw had held Chicago without a hit for 3 1/3 innings.

By then, the Dodgers had built too great of a cushion and never relented until closer Kenley Jansen closed out the win in the ninth with the Dodgers leading by 10 runs. A short time later, the Dodgers celebrated their World Series return after winning for the seventh time in eight games in the postseason.

"We have four more wins to go," Kershaw said. "But we've heard 1988 for so long in L.A., it feels good to say that we're getting to go to the World Series in 2017."

NOTES: Dodgers 3B Justin Turner extended his postseason streak of reaching safely to eight games with a RBI single in the second inning. Turner reached safely in 23 of his past 24 postseason games since Oct. 9, 2015. ... Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw earned his sixth career postseason victory, which tied Burt Hooton for the most in franchise history. ... Cubs president Theo Epstein defended manager Joe Maddon, who was taking heat for some of his decision-making in managing the bullpen during the NLCS. "It's not manager against manager," Epstein said before Thursday's game. "That stuff just gets under the microscope so much this time of year. It's (about) players performing." ... Former Cubs catcher David Ross, who was a member of the 2016 World Series championship team, threw out the ceremonial first pitch Thursday.

LEADING OFF: Cubs face Dodgers’ Kershaw trailing 3-1 in NLCS

A look at what’s happening all around the majors today:

___

ANOTHER DAY

The Cubs finally broke through for a win against the Dodgers in their NL Championship Series, but now they have to contend with ace Clayton Kershaw in Game 5. Kershaw limited Chicago to two runs over five innings in Game 1, a 5-2 win for Los Angeles. It’s a tough matchup for the Cubs, who are averaging 2.7 runs over nine postseason games — including a 9-8 win over Washington in NLDS Game 5.

Manager Joe Maddon will have work to do managing Chicago’s bullpen. Closer Wade Davis held on for a six-out save in Game 4, but that means the Cubs will have to look elsewhere for the late innings in Game 5. That’s problematic, since Chicago’s other relievers allowed eight runs over the first three games. Of course, Maddon will have to stay in the game long enough to make those calls — he was ejected Wednesday for the second time in the series.

TAKE A BREAK

Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and the slumping Astros get a day off, trailing the Yankees 3-2 in the AL Championship Series. Neither team is planning a workout at Minute Maid Park.

Houston led the majors in batting and scoring this season, but is hitting just .147 overall and has totaled only nine runs in the ALCS. George Springer and Josh Reddick, the 1-2 hitters in the Astros’ lineup, are a combined 2 for 35.

Veterans Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann both spoke to the Astros after a 5-0 loss Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. “Everything is OK. ... We have the home-field advantage,” Altuve said. “They did what they have to do, win their home games. Now it’s our turn.”

FOR HIRE

Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa has left the Diamondbacks’ organization, less than two weeks after Arizona lost the NL wild-card game to Colorado. He served as chief baseball officer in 2015-16 and became chief baseball analyst when the new regime of general manager Mike Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo arrived last spring.

The 73-year-old La Russa won three World Series championships as a manager — two with St. Louis, one with Oakland — worked as an Major League Baseball executive and played in the bigs as an infielder.

Cubs’ Maddon tossed again in NLCS; ump admits he missed call

By JIM LITKE
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs manager Joe Maddon turned out to be right. Even the umpire said so, later.

Maddon’s prize? He got ejected for the second time in the NL Championship Series.

At least he’ll get one more day in the dugout. Chicago reliever Wade Davis struck out Curtis Granderson on the next pitch after the disputed call and the Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 Wednesday night in Game 4 to avoid a sweep.

Maddon lost his argument in the eighth inning over what was originally ruled a swinging strikeout of Granderson. That call was changed to a foul tip after Granderson objected and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts asked the umpires to confer on the field.

Under Major League Baseball rules, the play was not subject to video review.

“After looking at it (on replay afterward), I was dead wrong,” plate umpire Jim Wolf said. “I talked myself into the whole thing.”

Maddon said afterward, “If Granderson hit the next pitch out, I might come running out of the clubhouse in my jockstrap. It was really that bad.”

Wolf — the brother of former big league pitcher Randy Wolf — said afterward he heard “two distinct, separate sounds” on the pitch, believing the first to be the pitch bouncing in the dirt and the second being the pop of the catcher’s mitt. After Roberts appealed and Wolf gathered his crew, he was told by his fellow umps “that the ball did not bounce — it did hit the ground but it did not bounce.”

“I basically talked myself into ‘he did foul tip it,’” Wolf said.

Maddon didn’t buy the “two sounds” explanation at the moment and roared at several members of the crew. He wasn’t buying it afterward, either.

“I’m not going to sit here and bang on umpires. I love a lot of guys on this crew. I’ve know them a long time. But that can’t happen,” he said.

“The process was horrible. ... You have 40-some thousand people, it’s late in the game. The other sound could have come from some lady screaming in the first row.”

Maddon was ejected in Game 1 at Dodger Stadium after a call at home plate was overturned because of the slide rule. He basically acknowledged he was trying to get himself tossed this time around.

After poking more holes in the “two sounds” explanation, he said, “There is no way, no way I’m not getting ejected at that point. I’ve got make my point. Just being honest,” he added.

Crew chief Mike Winters confirmed Maddon had something to say “to everybody, because at that point, the process didn’t matter to him. It just mattered that it didn’t go his way.

“We were trying to calm him down and we tried not to eject him, but he made that impossible,” he said.

Baez bashes two homers as Cubs stay alive

CHICAGO -- Wade Davis peered toward home plate and prepared to throw his 48th and most important pitch of the game Wednesday night.

With a runner on first base, Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger represented the winning run at the plate. Justin Turner and his imposing bat waited on deck.

The Chicago closer unleashed a 92 mph four-seam fastball. It saved both the game and the season for the Cubs, as Bellinger grounded into a game-ending double play.

Chicago held on for a 3-2 win over the Dodgers to stave off elimination in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. Javier Baez hit two home runs and Willson Contreras homered once for the Cubs, who trimmed their series deficit to 3-1.

Game 5 is scheduled for Thursday night at Wrigley Field.

"Great to have this win," said Baez, the second baseman who fielded Bellinger's grounder and whipped a throw to shortstop Addison Russell to start the double play. "Because, if not, we were going home."

Chicago improved to 11-15 when facing elimination.

"I want there to be pressure," said Cubs manager Joe Maddon, who was ejected in the eighth inning for arguing a foul-tip call. "I want there to be a carrot at the end of the stick. I want all of that."

Bellinger and Turner each hit solo home runs for the Dodgers. The defeat snapped a six-game postseason win streak for Los Angeles, which remains one victory shy of reaching the World Series for the first time since 1988.

"We don't expect anyone to lay down," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "It's a very talented group. They're the world champs, and you know they're going to fight to the end. So today, they did.

"We got beat today. And I think the thing is, you can't win them all."

Right-hander Jake Arrieta (1-0) battled into the seventh inning in what might have been his final game with the Cubs. The soon-to-be free agent allowed one run on three hits in 6 2/3 innings. He walked five and struck out nine.

Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood (0-1) allowed three solo home runs and a single in 4 2/3 innings in his first career postseason start. He walked none and struck out seven.

Davis posted the highest pitch count of his career, in the regular season or postseason, among games in which he earned a save. He allowed a home run to Turner to lead off the eighth and pitched around three walks to record the final six outs.

A bizarre sequence in the eighth as Dodgers center fielder Curtis Granderson appeared to swing and miss at strike three. After plate umpire Jim Wolf conferred with the other umpires, the call was overturned and ruled a foul tip.

Maddon was ejected after a vehement argument with replays being displayed on the video board showing that Granderson did not make contact. Davis officially struck out Granderson on the next pitch, and he also struck out Chase Utley to escape the jam.

"That can't happen," Maddon said. "The process was horrible. ... If Granderson hits the next pitch out, I might come running out of the clubhouse in my jockstrap."

Chicago jumped to a 2-0 lead in the second behind solo home runs from Contreras and Baez.

Contreras stood to admire his monster shot, which traveled an estimated 491 feet and slammed off the video board in left field. Baez pulled a towering blast just inside the left field foul pole.

Los Angeles cut the deficit to 2-1 in the following inning on Bellinger's line-drive shot down the right field line. The homer was Bellinger's first of the series and second of the postseason.

Baez homered again in the fifth to increase Chicago's lead to 3-1. He clubbed a low pitch into the first row of the left field bleachers for the first multi-homer postseason game of his career.

Baez became the fifth Cubs player to homer twice in a playoff game. The last player to do so was Aramis Ramirez in Game 4 of the 2003 NLCS.

"Tonight, I just said to myself not to try too much, and I didn't," Baez said. "And there you have it."

NOTES: Cubs 2B Javier Baez entered the night in an 0-for-20 postseason skid. ... Dodgers OF Yasiel Puig hit safely for the fifth time in seven postseason games. ... Cubs OF Albert Almora Jr. batted in the leadoff spot for the first time in the series and went 1-for-4. ... Dodgers C Yasmani Grandal made his series debut and went 0-for-1 with three walks. ... Cubs C Willson Contreras and Dodgers 3B Justin Turner became the third and fourth players to homer off the left field video board in 2017.

A year after 1st title since 1908, Cubs trail Dodgers 3-0

By ANDREW SELIGMAN
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Schwarber had fans roaring, thinking the Chicago Cubs just might be ready to tighten the NL Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Turns out, his home run in the first inning was about all they had to cheer.

Yu Darvish shut down Chicago after Schwarber went deep, putting the Cubs on the verge of being swept in the NLCS for the second time in three years after Tuesday’s night’s 6-1 loss.

After knocking out Los Angeles last fall on the way to their first World Series championship since consecutive titles in 1907 and 1908, hopes of another parade are just about dashed.

“Tomorrow is a Game 7. We have three or four Game 7s in a row coming up right now,” manager Joe Maddon said.

Jake Arrieta will try to keep the series going when he opposes Dodgers lefty Alex Wood on Wednesday night. Arrieta can become a free agent this winter, so it might be his final start for Chicago. And unless the Cubs get their offense and struggling bullpen in order, the season could come to a close.

Chicago has been in tough spots before, rallying from a 3-1 deficit to beat Cleveland in seven games for the World Series title last year. The Cubs also pulled out a wild victory at Washington in Game 5 of the Division Series this month after failing to close out the Nationals at Wrigley Field.

“I don’t think there’s any need to change anything,” said Kris Bryant, who had two hits after going 1 for 8 through the first two games of the series. “I think we can even play more loose because ... no one’s expecting us to come back except the guys in this room.”

It was Bryant who asked “why not us?” after the Cubs won Game 5 to send the 2016 World Series back to Cleveland and start their historic comeback. It will take another epic effort to knock off Los Angeles, particularly the way they are hitting.

The Cubs are batting .160 with four extra-base hits through three games.

“Of course we expected more,” Maddon said. “It’s somewhat surprising. I don’t want to use the word disappointing.”

Batting second, Schwarber hit an opposite-field drive to left-center for a 1-0 lead in the first.

“Hey, whenever you jump out to an early lead, you want that to be the momentum,” Schwarber said. “Any way that you can get the crowd into it — the players are enjoying it, I’m enjoying it, whatever it is — you want that to be momentum.”

Darvish took the Cubs and the crowd right out of it, holding Chicago to one run and six hits in 6 1/3 innings. Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks couldn’t match him.

The right-hander gave up four runs and six hits, including solo homers to Andre Ethier and Chris Taylor. It was his second straight shaky start after outpitching Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg in a dominant effort to win Game 1 of the NLDS.

Los Angeles led 3-1 with runners on first and second and none out in the sixth when Carl Edwards Jr. — erratic in the playoffs after a strong season — relieved Hendricks and walked Austin Barnes with one out. Joc Pederson flied out and Edwards walked Darvish on four pitches. After Taylor struck out to end the rally, boos came ringing from the Wrigley Field stands.

Struggling reliever Mike Montgomery gave up two more runs in the eighth. With runners on first and second, pinch-hitter Charlie Culberson struck out, only for the pitch to ricochet off catcher Willson Contreras’ arm for a passed ball that allowed Logan Forsythe to score. With runners at the corners, Kyle Farmer followed with a sacrifice fly.

“That’s a great ballclub over there,” Cubs shortstop Addison Russell said. “They’re doing things right.”

The Cubs could be on the way out, after barely squeezing past Washington. They experienced more drama on their way out west after that draining series.

Their cross-country flight to Los Angeles made an unscheduled stop in Albuquerque because Jose Quintana’s wife, Michel, experienced an irregular heartbeat. The team remained on the ground for five hours to change pilots.

Quintana joined his teammates in Los Angeles on Friday night and started Game 1 the following night.

The Cubs could be excused for feeling a bit drained. Though Schwarber shot down that idea, saying, “We’re not running out of gas at all,” Russell notices some signs of fatigue.

“I wouldn’t say we’re running out of gas,” he said. “I would just say some things here and there are a little bit fatigued. But we put the right guys out there every single day."

LEADING OFF: Dodgers seek sweep; Yanks try to solve Keuchel

Associated Press

A look at what’s happening all around the majors today:

___

BRING OUT THE BROOMS

One win from their first World Series appearance in 29 years, the Los Angeles Dodgers go for a four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Championship Series at Wrigley Field (9:08 p.m. EDT). Los Angeles is 6-0 in this postseason, setting a franchise record for consecutive playoff victories. Another one would give the storied franchise its 22nd pennant. The Dodgers’ only four-game postseason sweep came in the 1963 World Series against the New York Yankees.

HISTORY ON HIS SIDE

With the AL Championship Series tied at two games apiece, Dallas Keuchel pitches for the Houston Astros against Masahiro Tanaka and the New York Yankees (5:08 p.m. EDT). Keuchel is 6-2 with a 1.09 ERA in eight career starts vs. the Yankees, including a pair of scoreless playoff outings. The 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner tossed seven shutout innings and struck out 10 to beat Tanaka 2-1 in Game 1 at Houston. The left-hander has never given up a home run in 57 2/3 innings against the Yankees. “Hopefully, seeing him twice in one series, our guys are able to adjust a little quicker,” New York manager Joe Girardi said.

FRESH ARMS

It’s a matchup of well-rested pitchers when Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood and Cubs righty Jake Arrieta square off in Game 4 of the NLCS. Wood, who had a career-high 16 wins this season, will make his first appearance since Sept. 26. He was lined up for Game 4 of the Division Series, but the Dodgers swept the Diamondbacks in three straight.

“It has its pluses and negatives,” Wood said of the layoff. “I’ve stayed on a semi-regular schedule. I’ve had two (simulated) games in between against a lot of our regular guys in our lineup.”

Arrieta has pitched just 14 1/3 innings since Aug. 30, including four innings of two-hit ball against Washington in Game 4 of the NLDS. The 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner was hampered by a right hamstring injury at the end of the season.

“I think the leg issue is pretty much behind us,” he said.

Arrieta can become a free agent after the World Series, so this could be his final start for the Cubs.

HOME SWEET HOME

Aaron Judge and the wild-card Yankees are 5-0 at home this postseason heading into Game 5 of the ALCS against the Astros. The winner heads to Houston needing one win to reach the World Series, so Yankee Stadium figures to be rocking again. “Every home game has been special,” manager Joe Girardi said. “I just feel like the fans are back. And I see things that I haven’t in a while, and it reminds me a lot of when I was playing here.” New York has won 18 of its last 21 home games.

LAST CHANCE

Last season, the Cubs eliminated the Dodgers in the NLCS on the way to their first World Series title since 1908. But in the rematch this year, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and their teammates have been shut down at the plate by Los Angeles pitching. Trailing 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, Chicago needs a win to avoid being swept in the NLCS for the second time in three years. “We have three or four Game 7s in a row coming up right now,” manager Joe Maddon said.

CATCHING ON

Gary Sanchez is expected back behind the plate to catch Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka after backup Austin Romine caught Sonny Gray in Game 4 of the ALCS on Tuesday. Sanchez was the designated hitter and broke out of his slump with three RBIs, including a two-run double that snapped an eighth-inning tie. New York rallied from four runs down for a 6-4 victory over Houston that evened the best-of-seven series 2-all.

Dodgers on brink of World Series after 6-1 win

CHICAGO -- Yu Darvish stood center stage Tuesday night and realized he couldn't allow his already hostile surroundings to become any more energized.

Giving up a first-inning home run that forced the Los Angeles Dodgers to play from behind for the third straight game didn't help. However, Darvish quickly was able to silence Wrigley Field and the Chicago Cubs, putting the Dodgers on the verge of their first World Series appearance since 1998.

Darvish allowed one run over 6 1/3 innings, and Chris Taylor homered and drove in two runs as the Dodgers moved to within a victory of the National League pennant with a 6-1 victory over the defending World Series champion Cubs.

The Dodgers can advance with a win in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series on Wednesday night.

Darvish struck out seven, scattered six hits and walked one as the Dodgers took a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The right-hander also drove in a run with a bases-loaded walk.

"The story of the night, obviously, is Yu Darvish," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "After that first homer that he gave up ... he was dominant. He just had that rhythm, the poise and didn't allow whole lot of hard contact."

And what Darvish started, the Los Angeles bullpen finished.

The Cubs, who hadn't managed a hit off Dodgers relievers in the NLCS, put runners on second and third in the ninth when Alex Avila singled and Albert Almora Jr. followed with a double off right-hander Ross Stripling. However, Los Angeles closer Kenley Jansen got Addison Russell to pop out to first and then struck out Tommy La Stella and Ian Happ to close out the victory.

As good as Dodgers pitchers were on the back end, Darvish -- who yielded a solo home run to Kyle Schwarber in the first inning -- kept Cubs hitters off-balance all night.

"I really didn't change much approach-wise from first inning until the end of the game," Darvish said. "I just kept pitching the same way."

As they have throughout the series, the Dodgers gave their pitchers plenty of offensive support.

The Dodgers led 3-1 entering the sixth. After Yasiel Puig reached on an error by Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, Andre Ethier singled and Austin Barnes walked to load the bases. Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr. got Joc Pederson to fly out for the second out, but then he walked Darvish on four pitches to extend the margin to three.

Los Angeles tacked on a pair of runs in the eighth to break the game open. After a walk to Logan Forsythe and a Barnes single, Forsythe scored when Mike Montgomery's pitch bounded off the arm of catcher Willson Contreras, which allowed Barnes to advance to third base. Kyle Farmer followed with a sacrifice fly that gave the Dodgers their biggest lead.

The Cubs, who have scored four runs in the series, again failed to mount much offense.

"They just seem to be doing everything right right now," said Bryant, who had two hits Tuesday. "Good at-bats, good bullpen, good starting pitching. We just got beat."

With Los Angeles trailing 1-0 after Schwarber's homer, Ethier drew the Dodgers even with a solo home run on the first pitch he saw from Kyle Hendricks in the second inning.

Taylor broke a 1-1 tie in the third inning with a solo home run before he extended the lead to 3-1 lead with a fifth-inning RBI triple that scored Pederson, who doubled.

Hendricks gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits in five-plus innings as the Dodgers remained unbeaten in the postseason.

"Obviously we're excited to be up 3-0, but honestly, we've just been taking it one game at a time and just focusing on getting one win," Taylor said. "So we'll come in with the same mindset tomorrow and focus on getting that one win."

NOTES: Dodgers C Austin Barnes started his fourth straight game. Manager Dave Roberts opted to keep Barnes in the lineup as opposed to Yasmani Grandal, who has struggled against Cubs RHP Kyle Hendricks. Roberts said Tuesday he expects Grandal to start in Game 4 on Wednesday against Chicago RHP Jake Arrieta. ... Cubs LF Kyle Schwarber's first-inning home run gave him six postseason homers, which ties him with 1B Anthony Rizzo for the franchise record. ... Chicago 2B Javy Baez did not start for the first time in the NLCS as he was mired in an 0-for-19 postseason slump. Manager Joe Maddon said he prefers to have Baez in the game for defensive purposes, but instead started Ben Zobrist, who hit in the leadoff spot for Chicago. Baez popped out as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning. ... Rizzo snapped an 0-for-16 slump with a sixth-inning single.

Turner blasts Dodgers past Cubs, into 2-0 NLCS lead

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- With Hollywood as its neighbor, Los Angeles is no stranger to dramatic endings.

And with his game-winning, three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner certainly attained movie star status.

The 4-1 victory gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series and plenty of momentum heading to Chicago for Game 3 on Tuesday.

Coincidentally -- or maybe not so coincidentally -- Turner's home run came on the 29th anniversary of Kirk Gibson's game-winning home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series against the Oakland A's.

"One of my earliest baseball memories was being at my grandma's house and watching that game and watching Gibby hit that homer," said Turner, who was about a month away from turning 4 years old when Gibson limped around the bases. "I can't even put it into words right now.

"It's incredible. And the most important thing was helping us get another win. It's something down the road, hopefully many, many years from now, I'll get to tell stories about."

Before Turner's heroics, the game was a battle of bullpens.

One night after taking out ace Clayton Kershaw after five innings, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did the same with Rich Hill, even though the left-hander had allowed just one run.

The move paid off -- again -- as four Dodgers relievers were nearly perfect over four innings. Even so, the game was tied at 1-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth.

Yasiel Puig opened the ninth against Cubs reliever Brian Duensing with a walk. Charlie Culberson, subbing at shortstop for the injured Corey Seager, moved Puig to second with a sacrifice bunt.

After pinch hitter Kyle Farmer struck out, Cubs manager Joe Maddon summoned John Lackey from the bullpen to face Chris Taylor, who walked, bringing up Turner.

Cubs closer Wade Davis had warmed up as well, but Maddon decided to go with Lackey, normally a starting pitcher. Lackey, who turns 39 next week, was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series while pitching for the Anaheim Angels as a 23-year-old rookie. He has been to the postseason in 10 different seasons with four different teams.

"I'm betting on his experience right there as much as anything," Maddon said of his decision to go with Lackey. "I know he went out there and tried to make the pitches he wanted to make. I knew the crowd would not affect him, and it didn't. The first walk, he just kept trying to get Taylor to chase. Once he got to two strikes, (Taylor) didn't chase, to the hitter's credit. I really thought that John would not be affected by the moment.

"Once that walk occurred, all bets were off against Turner. Nobody's really a great matchup against Turner, so it just did not work out."

On a 1-0 count to Turner, Lackey grooved a 91 mph fastball over the plate. Turner didn't miss it, blasting it over the fence in center field for the dramatic victory.

Turner also drove in the Dodgers' first run with a two-out RBI single in the fifth inning.

"Absolutely not," Roberts said when asked if there was anyone else he would rather have at the plate in that situation. "I'm not saying he's David Ortiz, but I played with David, and you're talking about big spots and coming up big. And J.T.'s that guy for us. He just has that pulse where he can kind of keep his calm and stay within the strike zone. He's not afraid to fail and just wants to be in that spot."

Hill gave up only a solo homer to Addison Russell in the fifth inning but was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the fifth, Roberts continuing to show trust in his bullpen.

Brandon Morrow was perfect in the sixth and seventh innings before Josh Fields (one out) and Tony Watson (two outs) combined to throw a perfect eighth.

Kenley Jansen entered in the top of the ninth and struck out Kris Bryant for the first out before hitting Anthony Rizzo with a pitch, the only baserunner allowed by the Dodgers bullpen all night.

Jansen, though, wasn't fazed, striking out Willson Contreras and getting Albert Almora Jr. on a groundout to end the inning.

Russell broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fifth, hitting an 88 mph fastball from Hill into the seats just inside the left field foul pole for a 1-0 lead.

Cubs starter Jon Lester held the Dodgers scoreless until the fifth before Culberson led off with a double and later scored on Turner's ground-ball single to right.

When Cody Bellinger followed with a walk, increasing Lester's pitch count to 103, Maddon removed Lester, who gave up a run on three hits in 4 2/3 innings.

"I know we'll be fine," Maddon said of his team's state of mind. "We'll get a good day's rest tomorrow and come out and play our game on Tuesday. Listen, we lost two tough games here, very difficult games. I thought we represented ourselves well, we just did not get the hits. That's been pretty much the motif this entire postseason."

NOTES: After an off day, Dodgers RHP Yu Darvish is scheduled to oppose Cubs RHP Kyle Hendricks in Game 3 on Tuesday at Wrigley Field. ... The Dodgers' lineup for Game 2 was exactly the same as Game 1, other than the starting pitcher. The Cubs' only change was OF Jason Hayward in the lineup and OF Kyle Schwarber on the bench. ... Cubs 2B Javier Baez went 0-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base, leaving him 0-for-19 with eight strikeouts in the postseason. ... Dodgers 3B Justin Turner is 9-for-21 (.429) with two homers and 10 RBIs in five games during this year's postseason. ... Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo is 0-for-14 in his past four postseason games.

Dodgers strike first in NLCS with 5-2 win over Cubs

LOS ANGELES -- When Corey Seager was not included on the Los Angeles Dodgers' National League Championship Series roster, Charlie Culberson made sure to quiet the shock to the system of the team's faithful.

Culberson, a surprise starter at shortstop in Game 1 when Seager was considered to be a no-go because of a back injury, delivered a game-tying sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and an insurance run in the seventh as the Dodgers opened the NLCS with a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

Culberson had 13 major league at-bats this season so expectations he might make a difference Saturday were low. He even admitted to some butterflies right before the game, but the reality was that he could not have been more prepared, at least in his mind.

"I started preparing before the postseason, to mentally prepare, that I would play every day so I wouldn't be shocked if I was to be activated," Culberson said. "Yeah, there were little emotions running through me before the start of the game, but it was a lot of fun. Getting this win was huge and I was glad to be part of it."

The Cubs' roller-coaster week simply continued. They won the NLDS on Thursday, but then had their travel plans to Los Angeles interrupted early Friday morning. Next, they dropped the NLCS opener.

Things really came to a boil for the Cubs when Culberson scored his seventh-inning run on a Justin Turner single. Culberson appeared to get thrown out at home when catcher Willson Contreras applied the tag in time, but blocked the plate with his left foot before he had the ball.

On a replay challenge, Culberson was called safe. The official ruing from MLB offices in New York was that Contreras was in violation of the "home plate collision rule." Cubs manager Joe Maddon was ejected for arguing the replay reversal.

"I could not disagree more with the interpretation of that," Maddon said. "However, I will defend the umpires. The umpires did everything according to what they've been told, but I, from Day 1, have totally disagreed with the content of that rule. I think it's wrong. I think there's anybody that's played major league or even minor league baseball will agree with me 100 percent on that."

Yet it was an insurance run, and Maddon agreed that the outcome might not have been impacted by the call.

"Correct; I'm not arguing that," Maddon said. "And again, I'm not arguing against the umpires. I thought the umpires did a great job. I thought the game was well-officiated. I thought whoever had to make that decision, you put them in a bad decision in a replay booth in New York City."

There were other Dodgers heroes such as Chris Taylor, who hit a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning and Yasiel Puig, who added his own home run in the seventh.

The runs came in support of Clayton Kershaw, who gave up two runs in a shaky five innings. Kenley Jansen came on to get the final four outs for the save as the Dodgers used five relievers.

Kershaw gave up a two-run homer to Albert Almora Jr. in the fourth inning but nothing else despite some hard-hit balls by the Cubs. The left-hander, in his second start this postseason, gave up four hits with four strikeouts.

"It was OK," Kershaw said. "They battled me and made me get my pitch count up like I thought they would. Almora put a good swing on the ball. ... Other than that, it was OK, and with the way our bullpen is throwing the ball, you feel good going into a tie game with them."

Taylor's breakout regular season has continued on into the playoffs. He had three runs scored in a three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks during the NL Division Series and added his first postseason home run after hitting 21 in the regular season. He entered the season with one major league home run in 120 career games.

"You know, I had been up and down between Triple-A and the big leagues the last few years, and hadn't been able to stick in the big leagues or have long-term success," Taylor said. "I felt it was just something I had to do. I had to make that adjustment to just take it to the next level. I knew I wanted to be an everyday player, and I knew that was an adjustment I would have to make."

Cubs starter Jose Quintana, who had experienced an emotional few days, might have needed 22 pitches in a perfect first inning but was locked in early. Through four innings, Quintana gave up one hit but had faced the minimum thanks to a double-play grounder from Austin Barnes.

The Cubs revealed the reason their family charter flight to Los Angeles was diverted to Albuquerque, N.M., early Friday morning was because of a medical condition with Quintana's wife. The flight continued after a five-hour delay and Maddon waited to officially name Quintana his Game 1 starter until Saturday morning.

Quintana did not start showing cracks until the fifth inning when he issued back-to-back walks to Logan Forsythe and Austin Barnes. Puig followed with an RBI double to cut the early Cubs lead to 2-1.

One batter later, Culberson tied the score with a sacrifice fly to left field that brought home Barnes.

"Emotionally he was pretty much drained at that point," Maddon said. "The couple walks were indicators of that, right around 90 pitches after five, that's a pretty heavy load. Based on what he's been coming off of the last couple days, I thought it was the right time to get him out."

Kershaw was nowhere near as efficient as Quintana in the early going. He had a runner on base in three of the first four innings, running into trouble in the fourth when he gave up a line-drive single to Contreras and a two-run homer to Almora.

Almora got the call in the outfield for Game 1 after batting .354 against lefties during the regular season. He batted .433 with four doubles, a triple, two home runs and 11 RBIs against all pitchers over his final 16 games of the regular season.

It was the third time in the last two years a Kershaw start in the postseason lasted only five innings. Two of the outings were against the Cubs, including the deciding game in the NLCS last year.

NOTES: Dodgers SS Corey Seager said his injured back is somewhat improved after receiving an epidural injection this week, but he was not deemed healthy enough to be added to the active roster. ... Dodgers OF Chris Taylor now has two go-ahead and game-winning RBI in these playoffs, which is the first postseason of his career. ... The Cubs officially named LHP Jon Lester their Game 2 starter, scheduling him to pitch on three days' rest after throwing 51 pitches in a relief outing Wednesday against the Washington Nationals. ... The Cubs added RHP Hector Rondon to the active roster and his second pitch of the NLCS was greeted with a home run by Chris Taylor.

Wild Game 5 win sends Cubs to NLCS

(TSX / STATS) -- WASHINGTON -- Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, who endured a rough series behind the plate, caught the third strike and pumped his fist.

Chicago closer Wade Davis, asked to get the last seven outs, leaned over in front of the rubber and appeared to give thanks.

The Cubs, in a game that lasted nearly five hours, will have a chance to defend their National League championship.

Addison Russell had two hits and four RBIs, and Chicago scored four runs off Max Scherzer in the fifth inning to beat the Washington Nationals 9-8 on Thursday in the fifth and deciding game of the NL Division Series.

"I think the bats have been there the whole series," Russell said. "It's just balls fell tonight, back and forth, the whole ballgame. It was a great ballgame."

The Nationals had a chance to tie the game in the eighth, but backup catcher Jose Lobaton, who entered the game for starter Matt Wieters, was picked off first by Contreras for the last out after reaching on a single.

"We didn't play a very good game," said a dejected Dusty Baker, the Washington manager. "We had a lot of opportunities."

The winning pitcher was Cubs reliever Brian Duesning (1-0), who recorded two outs without giving up a run. Davis allowed one run but survived 44 pitches for his third save of the series.

"We needed to chip away," said Cubs manager Joe Maddon, whose team fell behind 4-1 early on. "And then once we got into the bullpen, I thought anything was possible."

The Cubs advance to play the Dodgers on Saturday in Los Angeles in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series.

Washington has lost in the first round of all four of its playoff showings since 2012.

The game featured 15 walks and three wild pitches.

"It's very disappointing, not to be going to L.A., not go home and see my family and play in Dodgers Stadium and go to the next step," said Baker, a former Dodgers star who grew up in California.

Russell hit an RBI double in the sixth to give the Cubs an 8-4 lead. The Nationals scored two in the bottom of the sixth as Jayson Werth came home on a wild pitch and Daniel Murphy added an RBI double to make it 8-6.

The Cubs' Kris Bryant drove in a run in the seventh on a fielder's choice to make it 9-6. The Nationals challenged that Jon Jay's slide into Murphy at second amounted to interference, but the call stood. Bryce Harper drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh, and Michael A. Taylor had an RBI hit in the eighth to make it 9-8.

Taylor also hit a three-run homer in the second inning. He drove in four runs for the second game in a row, as he hit a grand slam Wednesday at Chicago.

Taylor became the first player in major league history to drive in at least four runs in consecutive postseason games.

Jay led off the game with a double that stood after a reply challenge. He went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout by Anthony Rizzo.

The Nationals scored four in the second inning as Murphy led off with a homer, and later in the inning Taylor hit a three-run shot to left to make it 4-1.

In the third, the Cubs trimmed the lead to 4-3 as Russell drove in a run on a grounder, and another run scored on a wild pitch.

Chicago then scored four runs in the fifth off Washington ace Scherzer, who took over after Matt Albers threw a scoreless fourth.

Russell had a two-run double and scored on a throwing error by Wieters. Scherzer (0-1) then hit Jay with a pitch with the bases loaded with two outs to make it 7-4.

Washington starter Gio Gonzalez allowed three runs in three innings. Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks went four innings and gave up four runs on nine hits.

NOTES: Washington LHP Gio Gonzalez, who started Thursday, also started Game 5 of the NL Division Series at home in 2012 against the St. Louis Cardinals. ... Cubs RHP Kyle Hendricks, the Thursday starter, was the Game 1 starter of the series and started Game 7 of the World Series last year against the Cleveland Indians. ... Washington 2B Daniel Murphy, who homered in the second, hit four homers off the Cubs in the 2015 NLDS when he played for the New York Mets.

History on line as Nats return home for Game 5 vs. Cubs

Stats, LLC

CHICAGO — The Nationals have yet to reach the National League Championship Series, as they were eliminated in the NL Division Series in each of their previous three postseason appearances since moving to Washington.

However, when the Nationals face the Chicago Cubs in the deciding game of the best-of-five NLDS on Thursday night in Washington, their past playoff shortcomings won't factor into their confidence.

At stake is a chance to advance to the NLCS to face the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Washington, after staving off elimination behind a dominant performance by right-hander Stephen Strasburg on Wednesday in a 5-0 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field, will continue to focus on the business at hand.

Anything else -- including attempting to make franchise history -- doesn't matter.

"I've kind of said this all year -- I don't believe in that because it's a different team every year," Nationals shortstop Trea Turner said of the club's past. "You play different teams, different players, trades, free agents -- whatever it may be.

"It doesn't really matter (what happened in prior years). ... Whoever plays better, whoever executes more, you're going to move on."

Nationals manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday he hasn't yet decided who will start for his team Thursday in the winner-take-all game. After Strasburg bumped right-hander Tanner Roark from his scheduled start on Wednesday, Baker said Roark could be a candidate to start Thursday against the Cubs.

But so could Gio Gonzalez, who took a no-decision in Game 2 of the NLDS. The left-hander allowed three runs and three hits over five innings, striking out six and walking two.

"We're going to make up our mind, see the condition of everybody," Baker said.

The Cubs faced elimination during the 2016 World Series after falling behind three games to one against the Cleveland Indians. Now, after failing to close out the Nationals at home on Wednesday night, manager Joe Maddon said he would attempt to keep his players even-keeled as they look to advance to the NLCS for the third straight year.

Chicago right-hander Kyle Hendricks, who got the win in Game 1 when he allowed just two hits and struck out six over seven innings, will start Game 5. Hendricks is 2-2 in five career starts against the Nationals and is 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA against Washington this season, including the victory last week in Washington.

Given the fact his team has staved off elimination before, Maddon and his players are confident heading into Thursday. Yet after scoring just two runs in the last two games, the Cubs know they must be better on offense if they are to give Hendricks the support he needs.

"Our guys are ready to play," Maddon said after the Wednesday game. "It's been a really interesting series. Both teams have reflected one another pretty closely, and they got us tonight, and we have to fly back east and try to get them tomorrow night."

The Nationals face the same challenge.

"As a team, we feel good," said Michael A. Taylor, whose grand slam extended Washington's lead in Game 4. "We talked about it a little before the game about taking it one game at a time, and obviously, today was a necessary step to take it back to D.C. ... We're going back, and we'd just like to have another quality game."

LEADING OFF: Cubs, Nationals settle NLDS in Game 5

Associated Press

A look at what’s happening all around the majors today:

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GOING THE DISTANCE

It’s a win-or-go-home Game 5 in the NL Division Series between the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals at 8:08 p.m. EDT. Kyle Hendricks pitches for the World Series champion Cubs after beating Stephen Strasburg 3-0 in the opener. Washington manager Dusty Baker was non-committal when asked about his starter, with Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark the most likely candidates.

Back home after saving their season Wednesday with a 5-0 win at Wrigley Field behind Strasburg, the NL East champions have a chance to avenge years of playoff heartache. The Nationals also made it to the playoffs in 2012, 2014 and 2016 and fell in the first round each time, including five-game losses to St. Louis in 2012 and the Los Angeles Dodgers last season.

“Once you get out there, that stuff doesn’t really matter,” said Michael A. Taylor, who hit a grand slam for Washington late in Game 4. “What we did last year doesn’t help or hurt us once we’re in between the lines.”

The winner heads for Los Angeles to play the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series beginning Saturday.

READY AND WAITING

Jose Altuve and the Houston Astros are staying home to start the AL Championship Series. They will face the wild-card New York Yankees, who advanced Wednesday night with a 5-2 victory at Cleveland in Game 5 of their Division Series. Game 1 is Friday night in Houston. Dallas Keuchel is scheduled to start for the Astros, who went 5-2 against New York during the regular season. Houston reached the best-of-seven ALCS by eliminating Boston in Game 4 on Monday. Altuve batted .533 in four ALDS games against the Red Sox.

HELP WANTED

The Boston Red Sox are looking for a new manager after firing John Farrell on Wednesday following the team’s second consecutive loss in the AL Division Series. The team announced the move less than 48 hours after it was knocked out of the playoffs with a 5-4 loss to Houston. Farrell managed the Red Sox to a World Series title in 2013, his first season in charge, and his contract had been scheduled to run through the 2018 season. President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said the team plans to move swiftly on its next hire and the next manager would “most likely not” be a member of Farrell’s current coaching staff. Dombrowski said it would be important to be comfortable in front of media and relatable to the team’s current young core.

CLEAN IT UP

If the Cubs are going to win at Washington in the deciding Game 5 of their NL Division Series, they may need to tighten up their defense. Chicago has committed seven errors in the first four games of the series. In addition, 2016 NL MVP Kris Bryant looks to bounce back from a tough day in Game 4, when he struck out four times as the defending champs went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position.

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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Strasburg stars as Nats force deciding Game 5 vs. Cubs

CHICAGO — As the Washington Nationals' team bus sat in traffic en route to the hotel on Tuesday night, the club facing elimination heading into Game 4 of the National League Division Series against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, Stephen Strasburg didn't give himself much of a chance of taking an active role in keeping his team's season alive.

Physically drained by flu-like symptoms that set in last week, Strasburg believed he had little to offer. Despite still not feeling at full health when he woke up Wednesday morning, Strasburg arrived at Wrigley Field, walked into manager Dusty Baker's office and said he wanted the ball.

The right-hander made the most of the opportunity.

Strasburg threw seven scoreless innings and struck out 12, and Michael A. Taylor hit an eighth-inning grand slam to draw the Nationals even at two games apiece in the best-of-five series with a 5-0 victory over the Cubs.

The fifth and deciding game will be played Thursday in Washington. The winner advances to the NL Championship Series to face the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Strasburg, who held the Cubs without a hit for the first 5 2/3 innings in Game 1 of the series, is a major reason why the Nationals still have life. On Wednesday, he allowed just three hits and walked two while striking out the side three times.

"I'm surprised I was able to hang in there," Strasburg said. "I think it's just one of those situations where, you know, (you) try and break the game down, keep it simple and just know going in, whatever I have in the tank, I'm giving it everything I have."

With the Nationals clinging to a 1-0 lead in the eighth, Taylor blew the game open with the first postseason grand slam in franchise history off Wade Davis. The Cubs closer entered the game with two outs in the inning after reliever Carl Edwards Jr. walked a pair of hitters to load the bases.

Davis took over and surrendered the home run, which drifted into the basket in front of the right field bleachers.

"I was just kind of numb just running around the bases," Taylor said. "I didn't think it was going to get out the way the wind was blowing in."

Taylor's home run proved to be the finishing blow the Nationals needed after Strasburg (1-1), who admitted to not having a lot of energy, kept the Cubs off balance.

"I really stuck to one pitch at a time," he said. "Before I knew it, I was seven innings down."

The Nationals took a 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the third inning. After Trea Turner doubled off Cubs starter Jake Arrieta with one out and advanced to third on a wild pitch, Arrieta struck out Jayson Werth to get within an out of getting out of the inning.

Following a Bryce Harper walk, Cubs shortstop Addison Russell booted a Ryan Zimmerman ground ball, allowing Turner to score.

The Nationals loaded the bases in the fourth inning with Arrieta laboring. Arrieta (0-1) allowed an Anthony Rendon leadoff double and then issued walks to Taylor and Turner. However, Arrieta struck out Werth looking to wiggle out of trouble.

Arrieta allowed two hits and no earned runs over four innings. He walked five and struck out four.

Before the Nationals' four-run eighth inning, the Cubs had no answer for Strasburg, who was dominant with his changeup and kept the Cubs from ever being able to build any offensive momentum.

"We have to be better in the (strike zone)," said Cubs manager Joe Maddon, who called Strasburg "spectacular."

"We have to force their pitchers in the zone more consistently and not miss your pitch when you see it. It really comes down to that."

NOTES: Nationals SS Trea Turner snapped an 0-for-13 drought with a one-out double in the third inning. The hit was the first of the NLDS for the Washington leadoff hitter. ... Cubs manager Joe Maddon tweaked his lineup prior to Game 4 after the Nationals announced RHP Stephen Strasburg would start in place of RHP Tanner Roark. Cubs RF Jason Heyward was inserted in the No. 7 hole in place of OF Kyle Schwarber. ... Nationals manager Dusty Baker said Roark could be a candidate to pitch in Game 5 on Thursday. ... Cubs LHP Jon Lester entered the game in the fifth inning and made his first relief appearance since Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. He was charged with one run in 3 2/3 innings.

Cubs send Arrieta to mound seeking clincher vs. Nats

Stats, LLC

CHICAGO – Jake Arrieta has pitched in his share of big games for the Chicago Cubs, and Game 4 of the National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday will be no different.

Following a 2-1 victory on Monday that provided the Cubs with a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series, Arrieta has the chance to propel Chicago into a third straight NL Championship Series appearance.

In the back of his mind, though, Arrieta understands the Tuesday start could represent the final time he takes center stage for the home team at Wrigley Field.

Arrieta, who was slowed by a right hamstring injury late in the regular season, insists the ailment will be a non-issue. He recently threw two successful bullpen sessions.

Given his free agent status when the season ends, Arrieta acknowledged Monday that his time with the Cubs may be drawing to a close.

He plans to make the most of every opportunity, starting Tuesday.

"(I'm) just trying to take everything in (and) look around a little bit more trying to, you know, kind of capture some mental images of Wrigley and the fan base and my teammates," Arrieta said Monday. "(I will) just to try and remember as much as I can about these last couple weeks -- if it's my last time in this uniform."

Arrieta dropped his only decision against the Nationals this year and is 1-2 with a 5.48 ERA in nine career starts against Washington.

Like Nationals ace Max Scherzer, who no-hit the Cubs for the first 6 1/3 innings on Monday, Arrieta will make his first start of the postseason after using a few extra days to strengthen his hamstring. Arrieta hasn't pitched since Sept. 26, and he missed 2 1/2 weeks after straining the hamstring during a start on Sept. 4.

He will face a potent Nationals lineup that Arrieta knows he will have to be careful with, but one that again struggled to score runs on Monday. Arrieta said his goal will be to pitch as deep into the game as possible.

Scherzer, who was dealing with a right hamstring injury, said Sunday he felt comfortable throwing 100 pitches. Scherzer threw 98 on Monday and allowed just one hit.

Arrieta won't worry about numbers.

"Pretty much all bets are off in the postseason," Arrieta said. "But every time I toe the rubber, I'm trying to do my best to finish that game."

Nationals right-hander Tanner Roark will face Arrieta in a setting with which he is well-acquainted. Roark, a native of suburban Wilmington, Ill., made his first trip to Wrigley Field as a youngster. Roark is 4-2 in seven career starts against the Cubs and is 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA against Chicago this season.

Roark called the experience of pitching at Wrigley "surreal" and knows he will have to channel his emotions as much as possible -- especially with the Nationals facing elimination.

"(You've got to) hold the nerves in, hold the anxiousness and all that stuff in, and just let it come and let it happen," Roark said on Monday. "And that's what you've got to let it do."

The Nationals, who have scored seven runs in three games, will have to produce more if they hope to extend their season. Washington's only run Monday was set up two Chicago errors.

"We know (Game 4 is) right around the corner, and our back's against the wall," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said after his team's Monday loss, "so we've got to get them tomorrow. We've got to get those hits, and hopefully (the Cubs) don't."

Shaw's 2-run homer lifts Brewers to dramatic win over Cubs

(TSX / STATS) -- MILWAUKEE -- In each of the first two games of their four-game weekend showdown at Miller Park, the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs went into the 10th inning before the defending World Series champions broke their young challengers' hearts.

So Saturday afternoon, when the Cubs again manufactured a go-ahead run in the top of the 10th inning, the few remaining local fans among the sold out crowd of 44,067 prepared for more agony.

Instead, the Brewers flipped the script, getting a one-out double from Ryan Braun that set up a two-run walk-off home run from Travis Shaw as Milwaukee rallied late -- and kept its slim postseason hopes alive -- with a 4-3 victory.

"I haven't been able to come up with the words for this series," said Brewers manager Craig Counsell, whose team got within 4 1/2 games of the Cubs and one of the Rockies for a wild-card spot. "If this hasn't been the best series that you've seen in a long time this is about as exciting as it gets. It is as exciting as it gets. They're clearly coming into a good place where they're really tough to beat but we hung with them today."

Shaw hit his 31st homer after Milwaukee tied it in the ninth on a homer by Orlando Arcia off Wade Davis. The Cubs, who won the first two games in the 10th, took a one-run lead on a single by Jon Jay before Milwaukee dramatically won it.

Davis came back out for the 10th, working two innings for the second time in three games. He struck out Neil Walker to open the inning but Braun sent a double down the line and into the corner to bring up Shaw, who took ball one before connecting on a hanging curveball to win it.

"He missed with the curveball on the first pitch, and I was going to see if he'd do it again and he tried it again," Shaw said. "Last night I missed an opportunity early in the game to kind of blow it open. It just feels good to come out on the right side of things after a couple of tough days."

Davis (4-2), working multiple innings for the second time in three games, hadn't blown a save since Sept. 2, 2016.

"My arm was dragging a little bit," Davis said. "I just made a lot of bad pitches and good pitches for them to hit."

In the ninth, Davis struck out Neil Walker to open the inning but missed his mark coming inside on a 0-1 fastball that Arcia ripped down the left-field line for his 14th home run of the season, tying the game 3-3.

"Just wanted to get it in more and obviously I didn't," Davis said. "He put a pretty good swing on it."

Davis hadn't allowed a home run since Aug. 13 but recovered quickly from there, retiring the next two batters and Chicago got to work quickly in the 10th against Jeremy Jeffress (4-2) with Ian Happ starting things off by drawing a leadoff walk.

Jason Heyward moved him over with a sacrifice bunt and Jay sent him home with a single back up the middle, putting the Cubs ahead. Jay stole second and took third on a throwing error by Stephen Vogt and, with the Cubs threatening to break the game open, Jeffress intentionally walked Anthony Rizzo, Chicago's leader with 32 home runs and 107 RBIs.

The move paid off as Jeffress got Wilson Contreras -- no slouch himself with 21 homers and 73 RBIs this season -- to bounce into a force, ending the inning.

"The walk hurt JJ today but again, he did a pretty good job," Counsell said. "It's not hard contact that's beating him. It was just a roller up the middle."

Milwaukee got a solid start from left-hander Brent Suter, who held the Cubs to a run on six hits with a pair of strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings.

Kyle Hendricks was just as stingy, allowing just a run on Eric Thames' first-inning RBI single, despite giving up eight hits with a walk while striking out six over six innings of work.

The bullpens took over from there and maintained the tie into the eighth when Jacob Barnes, back out for his second inning, allowed a leadoff double to Ian Happ and a single to Heyward.

Counsell turned to setup man Anthony Swarzak to get out of the jam but Jay moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt and Kris Bryant put the Cubs ahead with a sacrifice fly to center before Swarzak ended the inning.

NOTES: Chicago Cubs Manager Joe Maddon says he plans to keep his rotation in order this week, with LHP Jon Lester kicking off a four-game series at St. Louis on Monday despite command problems in his last outing. ... Milwaukee Brewers C Manny Pina missed a second consecutive game because of a sprained left thumb suffered Thursday in the series opener. ... The Brewers and Cubs have split the season series, winning nine games each, and wrap it up Sunday afternoon with Chicago LHP Jose Quintana (6-3, 3.95 ERA) facing Milwaukee RHP Chase Anderson (11-3, 2.74).

Happ right at home in Cubs' victory over Pirates

(TSX / STATS) -- PITTSBURGH -- It was Ian Happ's second trip home as a major-leaguer, and the Chicago Cubs' rookie made sure what surely was his final game at PNC Park this season was a good one.

"It's always great for me to come home and play at PNC. I had a lot of family and friends out there," Happ, from suburban Mt. Lebanon, said after he had three hits, scored twice as the Cubs' leadoff batter and threw a runner out at home from center field in Chicago's 8-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Cubs (77-63) salvaged a split in the four-game series after dropping the first two by a combined 16-3.

Albert Almora Jr. hit a two-run homer, and Anthony Rizzo went 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBIs and two walks as Chicago pounded out 13 hits to back starter Jon Lester, who got stronger over the course of his six innings.

"Yeah, it was a good day all around for the whole team," Happ said. "Jonny fought hard and pitched a heck of a game, and everybody did their part on offense."

Chicago scored a run in each of the first four innings, then scored two in the fifth for a 6-1 lead. Almora's homer made it 8-1 in the seventh.

"We put up that picket fence early," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "We could have scored a lot more runs. We left a lot of chicken on the bone."

Chicago left seven on and was 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

Pittsburgh (67-74) added a run in the eighth on Jordan Luplow's RBI double.

Lester (10-7), in his second start after coming off the disabled list, gave up one run and five hits in his six innings. He set the Pirates down in order in the fifth and sixth. He walked four and struck out five.

"The first couple innings, (I was) able to get ahead of guys, just wasn't really able to get them out as quickly as we would have liked to," Lester said. "Whether that's a little bit of rust or being too fine, I don't know, but we got through it and a couple good defensive plays helped."

Lester kept the Pirates off-balance.

"Veteran guy making pitches," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "We had some punch-outs looking. You normally want to get guys on and run them into the barrel. You have to put some balls in play."

Pittsburgh starter Jameson Taillon (7-6) gave up six runs and 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings, with one walk and three strikeouts. Taillon hasn't won since Aug. 11 but was coming off a no-decision against Cincinnati in which he pitched six scoreless innings.

"Frustrating, I guess, is probably the best word," Taillon said. "I felt strong. I felt great. But no one cares how you feel. You've got to go out, get results and get guys out. I feel great, but they were just hitting every single mistake I made."

Hurdle said earlier that Taillon, 25, might be asked to skip his next start or perhaps even get shut down for the rest of the season.

Maddon can see why.

"That kid's so good," Maddon said. "He might be losing a little steam right now. He wasn't as sharp as I've seen him in the past."

Chicago got the leadoff batter on base in four of the five innings Taillon started.

In the first, Happ singled to right, went to third on Kris Bryant's double off the wall in right and scored on Rizzo's sacrifice fly.

The Cubs made it 2-0 when Javier Baez led off the second with a double to the corner in left, went to third on a grounder and scored on Rene Rivera's sacrifice bunt. Taillon fielded the bunt but twisted his body awkwardly and stumbled a bit as he turned to make the throw to first. He was briefly seen by a trainer.

Taillon might have had an RBI in the second, but Happ scooped up his single to shallow center and gunned down Jordy Mercer trying to score from second.

"How about the throw to the plate?" Maddon said. "I didn't really pick up on how tight he was until once he made the throw."

Happ led off the third with a double high off the wall in right and, an out later, scored on Rizzo's single up the middle for a 3-0 lead.

Pittsburgh scored in the third to make it 3-1. Starling Marte and Max Moroff walked and moved up on Andrew McCutchen's groundout. Marte scored on Josh Bell's groundout.

Chicago increased its lead to 4-1 in the fourth on Lester's RBI double after back-to-back, one-out singles by Jason Heyward and Rivera.

In the fifth, Baez drove in a run with a sacrifice bunt and Heyward rapped an RBI double for a 6-1 lead as Chicago chased Taillon.

NOTES: The start was delayed 53 minutes by rain. ... Pittsburgh RHP George Kontos (groin) was reinstated from the disabled list. ... Pittsburgh RF Gregory Polanco (hamstring) and INF/OF Adam Frazier (hamstring) could come off the DL on Friday for the series opener at St. Louis, manager Clint Hurdle said. ... Chicago begins an important NL Central series Friday against Milwaukee. RHP John Lackey (11-10, 4.74 ERA) faces the Brewers RHP Jimmy Nelson (11-6, 3.59) in the opener.

Pirates look to make things tough for Cubs again

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(TSX / STATS) -- PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates would not seem to have a realistic shot at the postseason.

They sit 9 1/2 games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the National League Central, and they are 7 1/2 games behind the Colorado Rockies in the chase for the second NL wild card.

However, the past few days, the Pirates (67-73) gave the Cubs (76-63) a taste of the kind of tough games that Chicago might expect in the playoffs.

The Cubs won a 1-0 pitchers' duel Wednesday after dropping the first two games of a series at PNC Park 12-0 and 4-3. The four-game set concludes Thursday night.

"Great win," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said after the Wednesday game. "Pretty significant after (Tuesday) night's tough loss."

The defending World Series champions, who have been in first in the division since July 27, will aim to salvage a split in the four-game set Thursday night. Chicago is four games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals and 4 1/2 up on the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central.

The Cubs' Wednesday starter, Jose Quintana, wasn't part of the championship club last season, but he is caught up in the mentality.

"I've never had the opportunity (to be in a pennant race)," said Quintana, who threw six shutout innings but got a no-decision. "To be here and be close to the playoffs ... We haven't won anything yet, but we try to continue in this race every single day.

"It's special to win a game like that when you lost the last two games."

The Pirates got some strong work from some of their young pitchers during a four-game winning streak that ended Wednesday despite the fine work of Gerrit Cole. He threw eight shutout innings, but Chicago got to reliever Daniel Hudson for a run in the ninth.

"It's been really encouraging to see the workloads, because it's hard to quantify how much of a difference it is pitching in August in Triple-A vs. August in the big leagues, and then you pile another month on it to what they're doing against the quality of competition they're pitching against," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said.

Pirates right-hander Jameson Taillon (7-5, 4.50 ERA) heads to the mound Thursday after getting a no-decision his last time out despite a strong performance. He pitched six scoreless innings Saturday, allowing three hits, in the Pirates' 5-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

That might have been a slump-busting outing. Taillon hasn't won since Aug. 11 and is 2-3 with a 6.75 ERA in 10 starts since the All-Star break.

"I haven't really had that tough of a stretch like I just had at this level. It's tough," Taillon said before Saturday. "This is the best league in the world. Results are all that matters. In the minor leagues, there's always developmental things. Up here, you want to pitch well and keep your team in games.

"It's my first year going start to finish in the big leagues. I want to finish strong. I want to go out on a high note. Each start's an opportunity for me to learn something new about what I do and my craft.

"More than anything, I've learned that I belong. Good start or bad start, I feel like I'm a major league starting pitcher."

Taillon is 2-2 with a 3.68 ERA in four career starts against the Cubs, and he is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in two starts against Chicago this season.

Chicago will go with Jon Lester (9-7, 4.46 ERA). The veteran left-hander returned from the disabled list (shoulder fatigue) Saturday to face the Atlanta Braves, and he allowed four runs in five innings to pick up a win in a 14-12 Cubs blowout.

Lester could have nightmares when it comes to the Pirates.

This will be his first start against Pittsburgh since July 9, when he gave up 10 runs in two-thirds of an inning -- the first time in his career he got pulled in the first inning and the first time since 1998 a team scored 10 or more runs in the first against the Cubs.

"It kind of speaks for itself," Lester said. "It's embarrassing."

In 11 career starts against the Pirates, he is 4-5 with a 3.39 ERA. Lester is 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA in three starts against Pittsburgh this season.

He is 2-2 with a 3.99 ERA in five starts at PNC Park.

Cubs beat Pirates 1-0 on Avila's triple in ninth

(TSX / STATS) -- PITTSBURGH -- It wasn't a trick question. Just an inquiry about an unusual situation.

So, Alex Avila, how many broken-bat triples have you had in your career?

"Not many," Avila said, shaking his head. "I haven't broken many bats (at all), either."

Avila hit just such a liner down the right-field line in the ninth inning Wednesday night. It drove in the only run to break up a pitchers' duel as well as Chicago's three-game losing streak, lifting the Cubs to a 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

Anthony Rizzo drew a one-out walk against Pittsburgh reliever Daniel Hudson (2-6) in the ninth. Pinch-runner Leonys Martin stole second, and after Ian Happ struck out, Avila drove in the winner.

Chicago (76-63) has a chance to split the four-game series Thursday. The Pirates (67-73) saw their four-game win streak end.

Pedro Strop (4-4) pitched the eighth inning for the win. Wade Davis tossed the ninth for his 29th save.

Pitching was the story for most of the game as starters Gerrit Cole and Jose Quintana matched shutout innings.

Cole, the Pittsburgh starter, in particular, was stellar. He pitched eight scoreless innings, giving up two hits -- an infield single by Javier Baez in the second and a broken-bat single to left by Jon Jay in the eighth. He struck out eight and walked four, throwing 108 pitches.

"Cole pretty much had no-hit stuff," said Avila, who struck out two of the three times he face Cole. "The way he was locating with 97 (mph on his fastball), slider, curveball, he was excellent. You just had a feeling that we weren't going to have many opportunities against him. If he made a mistake, we weren't able to capitalize on it.

"He had unbelievable stuff. Just try to outlast him and keep the game where it was until we got into their bullpen and see if we got an opportunity there."

It was a strong bounce-back effort from Cole's previous start, when he gave up five earned runs in six innings against the Cincinnati Reds, but he still hasn't won at PNC Park since June 13.

"I was able to get the pitch count back down in the middle innings," Cole said. "They needed to try to put something together and we just kept making good pitches early in the count and got rewarded for it."

Quintana, who won three of his previous four starts, threw six scoreless innings. He allowed six hits and one walk with six strikeouts. He threw 105 pitches.

"I felt pretty good," Quintana said. "It was a battle, a really good game, both starters. My mind was, 'Keep the game close.'"

The Cubs had runners on first and second in each of the first two innings. After back-to-back one-out walks in the first, Cole got Rizzo to ground into a double play.

The Cubs got a two-out walk and Baez's infield single in the second before Cole struck out Quintana.

Cole, particularly in the first, showed some frustration with the calls from plate umpire Paul Nauert.

"It wasn't like he wasn't efficient in the first," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "There was some calls that could have gone our way and could have shortened that inning up. To make the pitch to get out of that inning was pretty impressive, as well, and then he just stayed on a roll."

Quintana's strikeout was the start of Cole's string of setting down 14 Cubs in a row, until Happ drew a one-out walk in the seventh. Happ advanced to second on a grounder but was stranded.

Pittsburgh got runners to first and second with two outs in the fourth, but Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant made a leaping snag of a liner by Jordy Mercer to end the inning.

"You have to pitch better than good pitching to win. We did," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "That's exactly what happened.

"We had a real (good) level of mental energy; it's just that their pitcher was that good."

NOTES: Pittsburgh RF Gregory Polanco and INF/OF Adam Frazier, both on the disabled list with hamstring injuries, ran the bases. ... Pittsburgh C Francisco Cervelli (left quadriceps) has hit a plateau in his rehab. ... Pittsburgh RHP George Kontos (groin) threw a simulated game Tuesday with no problems afterward or Wednesday. ... Pittsburgh RHP Ivan Nova is expected to start Sunday at St. Louis after his spot was skipped Tuesday so he could regroup. ... Chicago C Willson Contreras (hamstring) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Thursday with high Class-A Myrtle Beach. ... Cubs 2B Ben Zobrist was given the night off from the starting lineup in favor of Tommy La Stella, who went 0-for-3. ... Chicago hired former major leaguer Will Venable as a special assistant to the president and general manager.