October 10, Cubs.com, Cubs try to advance to NLCS behind Arrieta

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1 October 10, 2017 Daily Herald, Cubs win ugly to take 2-1 lead over Nats in NLDS Daily Herald, Cubs' Edwards rebounds from Game 2 woes Daily Herald, 3 questions for Chicago Cubs heading into Game 4 of NLDS Daily Herald, Rozner: Cubs find the answer to Scherzer's brilliance Daily Herald, Cubs' comeback win over Nationals takes heat off Schwarber Daily Herald, Imrem: Schwarber's a dilemma the Cubs are willing to live with Cubs.com, Bloop there it is! Cubs take 2-1 lead in NLDS Cubs.com, Almora, Cubs back Schwarber after error in LF Cubs.com, Arrieta healthy for G4; LCS calls (4:30 CT, TBS) Cubs.com, 'Respect me!' Rizzo makes Nats pay dearly Cubs.com, Debut beauty: Quintana unfazed by pressure Cubs.com, Edwards enjoys sweet taste of redemption Cubs.com, Cubs try to advance to NLCS behind Arrieta ESPNChicago.com, 'I'm going to make the most of it': Jake Arrieta reflects ahead of potential last ride with Cubs ESPNChicago.com, Nationals keep challenging Anthony Rizzo, and Rizzo keeps beating them

2 NBC Sports Chicago, 'Respect me!' Anthony Rizzo says he's one of baseball's best after winning epic Game 3 for Cubs NBC Sports Chicago, Cubs have seen just about everything from Nationals and reacted like this: So what? Now what? NBC Sports Chicago, How do you like Ben Zobrist now? NBC Sports Chicago, How Jose Quintana overcame early nerves and exceeded expectations in Game 3 NBC Sports Chicago, Win it for Schwarbs? 'This is what we're supposed to do' NBC Sports Chicago, Game 3 swung on managers lifting their starting pitchers: Why did Maddon, Baker do what they did? Chicago Tribune, Cubs overcome flaws for 2-1 victory over Nationals and 2-1 NLDS lead story.html#nt=oft03a-1gp2 Chicago Tribune, Kyle Schwarber on NLDS Game 3 fielding gaffe: 'I'm angry at myself' story.html Chicago Tribune, Max Scherzer's maximum effort not quite enough for Nationals against Cubs Chicago Tribune, Ben Zobrist's persistence pays off for Cubs in Game 3 win Chicago Tribune, Dusty Baker dared Anthony Rizzo to beat Nationals, and that's what he did column.html Chicago Tribune, Cubs pick each other up, take 2-1 series lead over Nationals in NLDS column.html Chicago Tribune, Cubs starter Jake Arrieta 'good to go' for Game 4 of NLDS Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs overcome 4 errors, Max Scherzer no-hit bid to push Nats to brink

3 Chicago Sun-Times, TELANDER: Cubs have Wrigley Field rocking again Chicago Sun-Times, He s no Javy, but play of Zobrist s Cub life was good enough in Game 3 Chicago Sun-Times, MORRISSEY: Hear Anthony Rizzo roar? The Nationals did Chicago Sun-Times, Nostalgia gripping Arrieta before what might be final start for Cubs Daily Herald Cubs win ugly to take 2-1 lead over Nats in NLDS By Bruce Miles As Cubs manager Joe Maddon often says, "they can't all be oil paintings." That was certainly true Monday, as the Cubs fumbled and stumbled their way through Game 3 of the National League division series at Wrigley Field. But the way things have been going lately for the defending world champions, even their finger paintings look like Rembrandts. Such was the case on this summerlike late afternoon at the Friendly Confines, as the Cubs put across single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to come from behind and beat the Washington Nationals 2-1 to take a two-gamesto-one lead in the best-of-five series. With a victory Tuesday, the Cubs will earn their third straight trip to the NL championship series. Lesser teams than the Cubs might not have pulled this one out. They were being no-hit by Nats ace Max Scherzer into the seventh inning and their fielders were busy committing 4 errors. Ben Zobrist mae one of those errors, but he got the Cubs' first hit, a one-out double to chase Scherzer in the seventh. Pinch hitter Albert Almora Jr. tied the game with a single to left center off Sammy Solis. In the eighth, Anthony Rizzo blooped a single to left to score Leonys Martin, a pinch runner for Tommy La Stella, who walked to open the inning. Jon Jay bunted Martin to second. After Kris Bryant struck out, Nats manager Dusty Baker chose to pitch to Rizzo with first base open, and after Rizzo got his basehit, he was caught yelling, "Respect me." "Yeah, that's the mentality I take always with the base open," he said. "I want to make guys pay. I hit where I hit in the order. I drive in runs, and that's the mentality that I always take in. Usually I keep that (emotional) stuff behind the scenes and stay that stuff, but jut my emotions got me right there. "But that's the mentality. I believe I'm a really good hitter I believe I'm one of the best hitters in the game, and you have to believe that." For the second time in this series, the Cubs found themselves being dominated by the Nationals' starter. In Game 1 at Washington, it was Stephen Strasburg handcuffing the Cubs before an error doomed the Nats.

4 On Monday, it was Scherzer showing no ill effects from a hamstring "tweak" that pushed him back to the third game. Even as poorly as the Cubs' played the Nationals scored in the sixth after a double-error by left fielder Kyle Schwarber they again found a way. That's what championship teams do. "You've just got to stay in the moment," Rizzo said. "These games, it doesn't matter what you did the last at-bat if you got a hit, if you got a home run. It's all about that pitch and that next pitch, and you've got to be ready for that pitch. "We know we're good. We know someone is going to come through, and it's just a matter of time before someone does." Let's not forget the Cubs starting pitching. In the first three games, the starters have an ERA of 0.48, with Kyle Hendricks working 7 shutout innings in the Game 1 victory, Jon Lester giving up 1 in 6 innings in Game 2 and Jose Quintana giving up 1 unearned run over 5⅔ innings Monday. "We got it done because our starting pitching was so good, quite frankly," said manager Joe Maddon. "Give Scherzer a lot of credit, man, to come off that injury like he and pitch as well as he did. That was pretty phenomenal. And then our guy matched him, which we needed tonight. You had to match that great pitching performance with another one, and we did. "We made mistakes. We made some errors, but then we made some great plays. We made a couple baserunning gaffes. Part of it is possibly guys trying a little bit too hard. But at the end of the day, you'll always take that effort always." Quintana was making the first postseason start of his career. He was lifted for Pedro Strop after Schwarber's double-error in the sixth, when Schwarber dropped Daniel Murphy's flyball and then let it get away from him. Strop gave up an RBI double to Ryan Zimmerman. "I just tried to do my job," Quintana said. "It was the first time for me in the postseason, it was a different feeling for sure, different because you can't make mistakes. But you just focus on throwing the ball well. We know we're going to have a close game." As for how the Cubs won, it's just a matter of course for this bunch now. "I don't even know how to explain it," said third baseman Kris Bryant. "I don't think there's any panic, just keep on going and, you know, a break. Q was doing his thing, too, so I don't think there was a sense of urgency or anything." Daily Herald Cubs' Edwards rebounds from Game 2 woes By Bruce Miles Even after giving up a game-tying home run in Game 2 of the National League championship series in Washington, Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr. wanted the ball. Maybe especially after giving up that crushing blast, Edwards wanted the ball. He got it again in the eighth inning of Game 3 on Monday, with the score tied at 1-1. Edwards got Nationals leadoff man Trea Turner (0-for-12 in the series) to groundout.

5 As a special "bonus," he got Harper again. This time, he struck out the Washington slugger and then retired Anthony Rendon on a groundout. "I was really excited," said Edwards, who gave way to closer Wade Davis. "I told you last outing that wanted (the ball) really, really bad. Just be getting back out there really helped that a lot." And what about facing Harper again? "The guy can it, man," Edwards said. "He's not, you know, Bryce Harper for nothing. The guy's good. And you know, it's just nice to get back up there against him." Manager Joe Maddon said he had confidence in Edwards all along. "I talked to him, I patted him on the plane the other night," Maddon said. "I just said, 'Hey, man, we're good.' And he smiled, and I knew he was fine. Watched him (Sunday) in our little brunch outside and saw him talking with his family and everybody. Looked good." Another new lineup: Joe Maddon went with his third different leadoff man of the NLDS, going with Jon Jay after Ben Zobrist and Albert Almora Jr. led off Games 1 and 2, respectively. Javier Baez sat at the start as Ben Zobrist played at second base. Maddon was trying to load up on left-handed hitters against Nationals ace Max Scherzer. "I just wanted to get one more lefty," Maddon said. "That's what it was. One more left-handed bat in the lineup. I wanted to get Jon Jay a start." He said it: Nationals left fielder Jayson Werth on Anthony Rizzo's tiebreaking bloop hit in the eighth inning: "Three guys converging, tough play. A game like that, you can't hear anything. No man's land. I felt like I really didn't have chance. But I went back and looked at it (on replay) and maybe I did. In the moment, tough for someone to call. Can't hear anything." This and that: The previous time the Cubs committed 4 errors in a postseason game was Game 2 of the 2008 NLDS against the Dodgers, when they also committed 4... Jose Quintana became the fifth pitcher in Cubs history to work at least 5 innings without an earned run in his first career playoff appearance. Jake Arrieta was the previous pitcher to do it, in the 2015 wild-card game. Albert Almora's pinch single was his first career postseason hit and RBI. He had been 0-for-14. Daily Herald 3 questions for Chicago Cubs heading into Game 4 of NLDS By Bruce Miles After beating the Washington Nationals 2-1 Monday in Game 3 of the NLDS, the Cubs are on the brink of going to their third NL championship series in three years. Here are three key questions heading into Tuesday's game at Wrigley Field: 1. How is Jake Arrieta?

6 The Cubs right-hander has proclaimed himself ready to start after nursing a hamstring injury he suffered on Labor Day at Pittsburgh. Each hamstring injury is different, but the Nationals' Max Scherzer was coming off a "tweaked" hamstring Monday, and he pitched well. The Cubs have made a habit of easing pitchers back after injuries, and it has paid off with Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester. Arrieta has pitched twice since Labor Day, but the Cubs took it easy on him in the final week of the season. 2. What's the approach the Cubs will have in Game 4? Let's have first baseman Anthony Rizzo tell it. "We've got to attack," Rizzo said. "We've got to be in attack mode. There's no relaxing just because we're up in the series. I'm a big, big believer in travel-day wins. You've got to get that win on travel day because it makes everything better. The flight's better. Everything. The morale's better." 3. Are the Nationals down? You couldn't blame them if they are. Their two best pitchers, Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer, dominated the Cubs, and still the Nats came away with nothing in those two games. But if they can win Game 4, they get Game 5 at home. Daily Herald Rozner: Cubs find the answer to Scherzer's brilliance By Barry Rozner In the first 90 seconds of his postgame media session Monday night, Max Scherzer shook his head more times than he did throughout the entire 98 pitches he fired at Washington catcher Matt Wieters. His back was pressed up against a fence in a half-lit area which could adequately be described as mostly dungeon, and otherwise partial batting cage with a bit of abstract weight room under the first-base stands. While so much of Wrigley Field has been resurrected as a modern palace, the home team is in no rush to update the 100-year-old visiting facilities. This was a fitting venue for the embattled Scherzer. He took his time before answering each question, staring off into the distance, trying to find the right words words that might explain what had just happened in the Nationals' crushing Game 3 loss to the Cubs, words that might explain nothing. Arguably the best pitcher on the planet, Scherzer had pitched a magnificent postseason game at the most important moment of the season. While Jake Arrieta having suffered a similar hamstring injury wondered if Scherzer would be able to pitch at all, Scherzer merely discovered in recent days how to engineer a new delivery that would not grab the back of his right leg. Yes, after a long season and 10-year career in the majors, Scherzer rebuilt himself from the ground up in the hours leading up to Game 3 and then no-hit the defending champs for 6⅓ innings. "I was able to make a mechanical tweak in how I was able to get off the rubber with my right foot," Scherzer explained. "I was able to get the foot up higher quicker, and able to alleviate the stress on the hamstring. "I was searching for my command early in the game, but as the game went on I felt better. The hamstring never grabbed on me. The endurance of the hamstring was not a problem."

7 So you just post a Cy Young-worthy season pitching as you always have, and during a playoff series learn to throw in a different fashion? "I figured it out when I was playing catch," Scherzer said. "I figured out when it would grab, how to keep it from grabbing. It allowed me to get to my right side better. It allowed me to be mechanically sound and execute pitches." That, Scherzer was able to explain. The rest, not so much. Would he have been able to finish that game if healthy? Would the Nationals be up in this series if had been able to start Game 1? Did he think Anthony Rizzo's pop fly basehit that won the game might have been caught? All difficult questions to answer. "That's just baseball, man," Scherzer said. "This game can be great and it can be bad. "That's playoff baseball. Every pitch matters. Everyone's on pins and needles. One little thing can change a game. "Today, a ball fell in for them. (Rizzo) did a great job staying through the ball and allowing that to happen." Scherzer did say he would be fine to pitch in relief if there is a Game 5, and he did defend manager Dusty Baker's decision to pull him in the seventh, when the Cubs came back to tie the game on an Albert Almora single off lefty Sammy Solis after Scherzer had given up his only hit, a double by Ben Zobrist. It's hard to properly consume anything Baker does during a game, though no Cubs fan is new to this concept. Still, Scherzer was as ferocious in his defense of Baker as he always is on the mound. "We were all kind of on what was gonna happen," Scherzer said. "We kind of looked at Wieters. Sometimes the catcher can be the deciding factor in how everything's coming out." Wieters said he didn't cast the deciding ballot. "We didn't really draw straws," Wieters said. "You know Max is gonna push it. I'm fine either way. Good matchup for us. We know we're gonna get a pinch hitter if we go to the bullpen. "We made a pitch that was pretty good just not good enough." Scherzer insisted it was the right call, that going to Solis against Almora who crushes lefties was better than Scherzer against Kyle Schwarber, who is 0-for-4 with 3 strikeouts in the series. "We kind of looked at it and thought Sammy Solis was the best option for us," Scherzer said. "I know you guys are probably going to second guess that. "But these guys are here to make a decision. When they made that decision, I wasn't going to override anybody. "These are pressure-packed situations and they've done their homework to come up with the best scenario in that situation. Dusty has done that for us all year. "That's everybody on the staff making that decision. They're making the best decision for the team. I understand it. And when they made it, I was behind it." On the mound, Scherzer didn't seem excited by the move. "I was just," he said, "juiced out of my mind with adrenaline."

8 Despite three very close games, any of which either team could have won, the Nationals are once again facing elimination. So Scherzer was asked how they would approach Game 4. "Win the game. What else do you want us to do?" he answered, never changing expression. "Win the game." Even for Max Scherzer against the world champs, it's much easier said than done. Daily Herald Cubs' comeback win over Nationals takes heat off Schwarber By Scot Gregor After it happened, in a scoreless game with two outs in the sixth inning, Ryan Zimmerman came through with an RBI double to give the Washington Nationals a 1-0 lead. After Zimmerman's big hit, Kyle Schwarber screamed into his glove once. He screamed into his glove twice. The third time, he screamed into the air. "I should have caught that ball and I didn't and then it led to a run," Schwarber said after the game was over. By that time, he was relieved. The frustration was gone, or maybe just moved to the back burner of his mind. Here's what happened in Game 4 of the National League division series Monday afternoon at Wrigley Field: With Cubs starter Jose Quintana brilliant in his postseason debut and Nats counterpart Max Scherzer showing no signs of right hamstring discomfort while working on a no-hitter, both sides were locked in a battle for a measly run. Daniel Murphy hit a flyball to left field with two down in the sixth, and Schwarber dropped it for an error. Making matters much worse, he kicked the ball for another error that allowed Murphy to make it all the way to third base. Cubs manager Joe Maddon replaced Quintana with Pedro Strop, and Zimmerman launched an RBI double to rightcenter field that gave Washington what looked to be a commanding lead. "I'm going to take full responsibility on that before anyone else asks me," Schwarber said of the first miscue. "It's my fault. The ball should have been caught and I didn't catch it. Then, for us to be able to come back like that, it just speaks to the volumes of this team. "We're not going to ever give up and everyone has each other's backs. That's the most important part. They picked me up today." Before Anthony Rizzo lifted the Cubs to a 2-1 win with a bloop RBI single to center field in the eighth inning, Albert Almora Jr. tied it with a pinch-hit single in the seventh. Ben Zobrist broke up Scherzer's no-hit bid with a 1-out double in the seventh inning. That should have brought Schwarber to the plate with a shot at redemption, but Nationals manager Dusty Baker lifted Scherzer for lefthanded reliever Sammy Solis. Maddon countered with Almora. "I wasn't disappointed," the left-handed Schwarber said of being taken down for the right-handed hitting Almora. "I was just more (bleeped) off because I just dropped the ball. I saw Scherzer trying to stay in there. I was like, 'Stay in there. Let me get this at-bat.' I knew as soon as that lefty was coming in, Albert was going to be pinch-hitting.

9 "I wasn't frustrated about that at all. I was just more frustrated about what just happened. It worked out for us, that's for dang sure." Almora was motivated to come through. "That was in front of my head," Almora said. "I was thinking, 'I want to help (Schwarber) and Quintana.' He did an unbelievable job." Daily Herald Imrem: Schwarber's a dilemma the Cubs are willing to live with By Mike Imrem What a dilemma Kyle Schwarber is for Joe Maddon. Right, sir? "Of course (he is)," the Cubs manager said Monday evening. The Cubs had just defeated the Nationals 2-1 to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five NLDS. Nobody could have been happier about the outcome than Schwarber. He raised his arms in the air after the Cubs tied the game, after they took the lead and after they finally won it. "I have such faith in the fellow, for the guy and his work ethic and how much he cares," said Maddon, who gave Schwarber a mighty hug after the final out. Schwarber almost cost the Cubs this game, and possibly the series, when he looked in left field like your dog playing with a tennis ball in the backyard. With the score tied 0-0, Schwarber dropped a flyball, then kicked it, then fetched it, then finally threw it back into the infield. "That's a routine play," Maddon conceded, and the error led to the game's first run. The game could have ended with Washington winning 1-0, but the Cubs rescued Schwarber with a run in the seventh inning and another in the eighth. "He came into the dugout and there wasn't much of anything said (after the outfield flub)," Anthony Rizzo said. "We pick each other up. No one wants to give up a run and make an error." So there you have Kyle Schwarber: Some days the Cubs win in spite of his fielding; other days they win because of his hitting. Maddon has to balance these two sides of Schwarber, who hit 30 home runs this season. As hard as Schwarber tries in left field, he isn't a left fielder. Nor is he a catcher, where he played as an amateur. Nor is he a first baseman or third baseman, even if the Cubs didn't have Rizzo and Kris Bryant. So what does a team in the National League which doesn't have the designated hitter like the American League does do with a slugger like Schwarber? It's heartwarming to say the NL does what teams did before some goofball concocted the DH rule: Put him someplace on the field and hope the ball doesn't find him.

10 Some of the greatest hitters in baseball history had to play defense when they weren't suited for it, though mostly late in their careers rather than early like Schwarber. Ted Williams, considered by many the best hitter ever, played left field for the Red Sox into his 40s. He has been dead for a long time now but still could hit over.300 as a designated hitter. Other Hall of Famers like Stan Musial, Yogi Berra and Ernie Banks switched positions at some point so their bats could stay in the lineup and they could stay in the major leagues. That's the way baseball is supposed to be played. Hitters are supposed to be full-service players, including on defense. As much as Schwarber struggles in the outfield, he is admired for how hard he's working to improve out there. "He's going to get better," Maddon said. "You've got to love his heart, man." The Cubs might trade Schwarber to the other league some day so he can settle in as a DH. After all, they have a few good, young, eager outfielders Ian Happ, Albert Almora Jr. among them who can play both sides of the ball. For now, though, Maddon sounds content to live with the good hitting-no fielding dilemma that is Kyle Schwarber. Cubs.com Bloop there it is! Cubs take 2-1 lead in NLDS By Carrie Muskat and Jamal Collier CHICAGO In Game 1 of the National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile, it was the Nationals' Stephen Strasburg who stymied the Cubs, but Chicago eventually rallied for a win. On Monday, it was Max Scherzer, who was dominant, yet once again, the Cubs came through late. The Cubs survived four errors, a baserunning gaffe and a dominant outing by Scherzer to post a 2-1 come-frombehind victory on Anthony Rizzo's tiebreaking bloop RBI single with two outs in the eighth inning. The win gives Chicago a two games to one lead over the Nationals in the NLDS. "It's just an attitude, an attitude we've had on this team since I came up," Kyle Schwarber said of the Cubs' mantra. "I remember in '15, we had the same attitude we're not going to quit and we'd just got swept in the [NL Championship Series]. We're not going to quit." The win was huge for the Cubs. When a best-of-five series is tied at 1-1, the winner of Game 3 has gone on to win the series 75 percent of the time (36 of 48 times). Game 4 will be today at Wrigley Field at 5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT on TBS. "We have to do our best against them again," Cubs catcher Willson Contreras said. "They're a tough team. They're not going to give it up. We have to play 27 outs." Pitching and defense win games, right? Scherzer did his part, holding the Cubs hitless over 6 1/3 innings and striking out seven. But the first and only hit off him was a one-out double to Ben Zobrist in the seventh, and he was then pulled after a long conversation on the mound with manager Dusty Baker. "Well, it was very difficult, but we thought Max had had enough, especially coming off the injury, and Schwarber is a dangerous man," said Baker. "I probably couldn't live with myself if Schwarber had hit one out of the park, which he's dangerous [enough] to do."

11 Scherzer added: "When they made that decision, I wasn't going to override anybody. These are pressure-packed situations. They've done their homework, and they've done their job to come up with the best scenario in that situation." Pinch-hitter Albert Almora Jr. then greeted Sammy Solis with a single to score Zobrist and tie the game at 1. That also was Almora's first postseason hit; he was 0-for-14 before that. The Nationals had taken the lead by taking advantage of Schwarber's two errors on one play in the sixth. The Cubs' left fielder couldn't close his glove on Daniel Murphy's fly ball, then kicked the ball. Murphy then scored on Ryan Zimmerman's double. "We made mistakes," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "We made some errors, but then we made some great plays. We made a couple baserunning gaffes. Part of it is possibly guys trying just a little bit too hard. But at the end of the day, you'll always take that effort. Always." That unearned run was charged to Cubs starter Jose Quintana, who held his own in his playoff debut, fanning seven over 5 2/3 innings. "We got it done because our pitching was so good, quite frankly," said Maddon. "You had to match [Scherzer's] great pitching performance with another one, and we did." Scherzer had been projected to open the series but was pushed back because of a tweak in his right hamstring. He seemed just fine Monday. This was the longest postseason no-hit bid by a pitcher against the Cubs since Strasburg held them hitless over 5 2/3 innings in Game 1 on Friday. The Nationals, who won 97 games and cruised into the playoffs with their deepest and most talented team in recent years, now find themselves on the brink of elimination. "We've won two games in a row before. It's not a record," Zimmerman said. "It's not an ideal situation to be in; obviously, I'd rather be up 2-1. It's playoff baseball. We'll come back out tomorrow, play a game, hopefully come out on top and go home and have an exciting Game 5." In the Cubs' eighth, pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella walked to lead off and was lifted for pinch-runner Leonys Martin, who moved up on Jon Jay's sacrifice. Brandon Kintzler struck out Kris Bryant, and left-hander Oliver Perez took over. Rizzo dropped a single between three Nats players in shallow left, which was enough time for Martin to score. Rizzo, however, was tagged out trying to stretch his single to a double. "That ball can't get down," Nationals outfielder Michael A. Taylor said. "As the center fielder, I have to take over, take charge and make a call on that." Rizzo was confident coming to the plate. "I'm thinking, 'Don't pitch to me right there,' to be honest," said Rizzo. "I love this situation, with a base open. We have a history facing each other. I knew he was going to throw me a fastball. Obviously, it blooped in there, but that's what this game's about. Those situations, I love being up in. It's my job to drive in runs, and I came through there." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Lapse in left: Schwarber is known more for his tape-measure homers than his glovework, and he fouled a ball down the right-field line onto Sheffield Avenue in the second. With two outs in the Nationals' sixth, Murphy lifted a fly ball to left that Schwarber couldn't squeeze in his glove, and then he knocked it away when he tried to pick it up. The two errors allowed Murphy to reach third and prompted Quintana's exit. Zimmerman greeted Pedro Strop with a double to center to score Murphy.

12 "I'm going to take full responsibility for that before anyone asks me," Schwarber said. "It's my fault. The ball should've been caught." Doubled up: After the Cubs tied the game on Almora's single in the seventh, they had two on and one out against Kintzler. Addison Russell lined a ball to right-center, but Taylor caught up to it and Jason Heyward, who was on first, was doubled off to end the inning on an relay. "I already had it in my head that Addy was going to come through with a big knock there and I was going to score from first," Heyward said. "Reading that ball, it looked like it was going to fade away from him, but Taylor's a good outfielder and made the play. Guys were telling me, 'Hey, so what? We've got baseball to play.'" Missed opportunity: The Nationals were unable to take advantage of two Cubs errors in the third. Taylor singled to lead off and moved up on a throwing error by Quintana on a pickoff attempt. After Quintana struck out Scherzer and got Trea Turner to pop up to first baseman Rizzo, Bryce Harper reached on a fielding error by second baseman Zobrist, who couldn't pick up the ball cleanly. Right fielder Heyward ended the inning with a nice running catch of Anthony Rendon's fly ball in right center. "I thought we took a lot more positive swings with guys in scoring position today. We just didn't find the holes," catcher Matt Wieters said. "We just had some balls that they made plays on." QUOTABLE "We've got to be in attack mode. There's no relaxing just because we're up in the series. I'm a big, big believer in, you know, travel-day wins. You've got to get that win on a travel day because it makes everything better. The flight's better, the morale is better. [Tuesday] we have a chance to seal it up here at Wrigley Field, and I expect our fans to be insane, just like they always are, and we'll be ready to go." Rizzo, who spiritedly celebrated the Game 3 win "We're right there. Playoff games are crazy. Sometimes they're low-scoring, sometimes they're high-scoring. It hasn't really gone our way just yet, but we still got a big game tomorrow. Get this series back to D.C., I like our chances." Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth, on the club's mindset going into Game 4 "It's going to be fun. I'm looking forward to it. I think everyone on our team is, too. Like Zim said, we've won two before. We've faced elimination before as well. I look forward to going out there tomorrow." Harper, on facing elimination WHAT'S NEXT Nationals: Tanner Roark starts for the Nationals in Game 4 on Tuesday, set to make a postseason start near his hometown of Wilmington, Ill. After a rocky first half (5.27 ERA), he turned around his season, posting a 3.90 ERA after the All-Star break. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET. Cubs: Jake Arrieta will start Game 4 on Tuesday, facing the Nationals for the second time this season. He took the loss on June 27 at Nationals Park, giving up five earned runs on six hits and six walks over four innings. Arrieta was pushed back in the playoff rotation to give his right hamstring time to heal. First pitch will be at 4:30 p.m. CT at Wrigley Field. Cubs.com Almora, Cubs back Schwarber after error in LF By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO Almost before anyone could ask Kyle Schwarber about why he muffed Daniel Murphy's fly ball after Game 3 of the National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile, the Cubs' outfielder shouldered the blame.

13 "I should've caught that ball, and I didn't and it led to a run," Schwarber said. "It's my fault. The ball should've been caught. For us to come back like that, that speaks volumes about this team. We're not going to give up and we have each other's backs." Schwarber not only didn't catch Murphy's fly ball in the Nationals' sixth inning, he also kicked it and was charged with two errors. Murphy scored on Ryan Zimmerman's double to give the Nationals a lead, but the Cubs rallied for a 2-1 win over the Nationals and a 2-1 series lead. And the player who delivered the game-tying run was Albert Almora Jr., called on to pinch-hit for Schwarber in the seventh after the Nationals replaced Max Scherzer with lefty reliever Sammy Solis. "I think the team did a really good job when the [sixth] inning was over to say, 'Hey, there's three innings left,'" Almora said of the reaction to Schwarber's error. "He took it hard, like a real competitor should. When I got my chance, I did it for [Jose] Quintana and Schwarber." Quintana struck out seven over 5 2/3 innings and allowed one unearned run in his first career postseason start. He could only watch as Ben Zobrist doubled with one out in the seventh for the Cubs' first hit off Scherzer. Almora was called upon to face Solis and singled Zobrist home to tie the game at 1. It was his first career postseason hit, ending an 0-for-14 stretch. Schwarber got his second NLDS start because manager Joe Maddon wanted as many left-handed bats as he could get against the right-handed Scherzer. "Schwarber works his butt off, literally, to get better in the outfield," Maddon said. "And here's the thing about that: That's a routine play. That's not over the top and that's not an exceptionally great play, and it's something that he knows he can make 11 out of 10 times. "I have such faith in the fellow and the guy and his work ethic and how much he cares. After the game, all the guys are going up to him, every one, and reinforcing him.... He's going to continue to get better on defense. But you've got to love his heart, man." Cubs outfielders Jason Heyward and Jon Jay both talked to Schwarber immediately after the play while Quintana was being taken out of the game. "You've got to go on to the next thing and relax and understand the game's not over," Heyward said. "Just give him some love there. It's a tough spot and we know he wants to come through." "I'm frustrated, I'm mad," Schwarber said. "They're telling me, 'Everything was going to be all right.' That's the way this team is. It's a special team. I think that was a prime example of how this team has gone through the whole year and was able to battle back and take that win there." After Zimmerman's run-scoring hit, Schwarber yelled into his glove "A lot of bad words," he said because he knew the inning should've been over. "I'm always going to own up to my mistakes, and there's no excuse," Schwarber said. Almora is usually Maddon's first pick off the bench against lefties, despite his previous playoff history. "He doesn't swing and miss often," Maddon said. "I don't care who's pitching, how hard he throws and how good of a breaking ball [he has], especially against a lefty. He's a contact guy. That's what really makes him attractive as a pinch-hitter." Almora led the Cubs with 14 hits off the bench this season, batting.341 as a pinch-hitter.

14 "I'm just trying to do my job when I get the opportunity," Almora said. "I know Joe believes in me, I know the whole team believes in me and I believe in myself. I'm not trying to do too much, I'm not trying to be a hero. I'm just trying to help the Chicago Cubs win." And when he did single, he looked at the Cubs' dugout, and saw Schwarber standing on the top step of the dugout cheering. "I know it meant a lot," Almora said. "Obviously, this was one of the highlights of my career." Cubs.com Arrieta healthy for G4; LCS calls (4:30 CT, TBS) By Adam Berry CHICAGO Jake Arrieta hopes to spend at least another few weeks pitching for the Cubs, but he's going to be mindful of the moment when he scales the mound today at Wrigley Field. He knows his last start in a Cubs uniform could be against the Nationals in Game 4 of the National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile. Or he could help extend their season by at least one more postseason round, as the Cubs are one victory away from clinching a third straight trip to the NL Championship Series. "Just trying to take everything in. Look around a little bit more," Arrieta said Monday. "Trying to, you know, kind of capture some mental images of Wrigley and the fan base and my teammates, and just to try and remember as much as I can about these last couple weeks; if it's my last time in this uniform. "These next few days are going to be extremely special, and if we're fortunate enough to get past these guys, like I feel we are, I'm going to do everything I can to enjoy the last few weeks." A free agent at the end of the season, Arrieta said he has made an attempt this year to appreciate his time with the Cubs. It's no secret the 31-year-old right-hander turned around his career in Chicago, posting a 2.73 ERA in 128 regular-season starts and winning the 2015 NL Cy Young Award, and his success could be rewarded with a lucrative, multi-year deal in free agency. For now, though, the Cubs are only looking forward to his next start and hoping to avoid a winner-take-all Game 5 at Nationals Park. "I can't wait to see Jake out there," Kris Bryant said. "We know what he does in the postseason. It's going to be fun." One thing they won't have to worry about, Arrieta insisted, is the nagging right hamstring injury that limited him over the last month. Arrieta called it a "non-issue" heading into the postseason. Arrieta exited his Sept. 4 start in Pittsburgh early due to a sore right hamstring and didn't return until Sept. 21. After he pitched three innings in his final regular-season start on Sept. 26, the Cubs pushed him back in their postseason rotation behind Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester and Jose Quintana to give him more time to heal. Between starts, Arrieta has thrown two bullpen sessions without incident. "Timing is really good. The stuff is good," he said. "The arm strength hasn't been affected, and if there's any effect there, I think it's in a positive way." The last time Arrieta faced the Nats, they ran all over him and former Cubs catcher Miguel Montero. Washington stole seven bases and scored six runs on six hits against Arrieta in a 6-1 win at Nationals Park on June 27. Leadoff man Trea Turner led the charge, stealing four bases during Arrieta's four innings.

15 The Cubs neutralized Turner in the first three games of this series, and Arrieta is determined to do the same in Game 4. "Especially in this series and this situation, those are going to be of high emphasis to do the best we can to, first and foremost, keep him off the bases," he said. "But if he does get on, doing our best to not allow him to get quality jumps and give our catcher an opportunity to throw him out." Cubs.com Respect me!' Rizzo makes Nats pay dearly By Adam Berry CHICAGO It felt like the ball was in the air for five minutes, Kyle Schwarber said, but it was only five seconds before Anthony Rizzo's popup found a patch of grass between three Nationals in shallow left-center field. In the Cubs' dugout, they were screaming at the baseball, urging it to "get heavy" and drop. Across the field, Nationals manager Dusty Baker thought somebody would get to the ball in time. But Rizzo's twoout bloop landed safely, allowing Leonys Martin to scamper home and score the eventual winning run in the eighth inning of the Cubs' 2-1 victory over the Nationals on Monday in Game 3 of the National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile. "It was some mayhem in the dugout especially by me. A lot of happiness," Schwarber said, smiling. "That was a big player in a big spot coming up big. No surprise there." Perhaps Rizzo's game-winner wasn't a surprise, but it was unlikely. Consider the numbers. According to Statcast, the popup came off Rizzo's bat at 70.7 mph with a 41-degree launch angle, good for a 29 percent hit probability. But it was perfectly placed, both clubs agreed. "That ball is kind of in never-never land out there, between three merging players on our team," Baker said. "You couldn't have thrown the ball any better if he had thrown the ball in there." Left fielder Jayson Werth needed to cover 98 feet in five seconds, according to Statcast, giving him a 21 percent chance of making the play. Center fielder Michael A. Taylor is quicker, but he had a 14 percent catch probability as he had to span 100 feet. Shortstop Trea Turner had to cover 80 feet in five seconds, but he twisted and turned as he tried to make his way straight back to the ball. The play, and the inning, ended with Rizzo caught in a rundown and tagged out, but the damage was done. "That ball can't get down. As a center fielder, I have to take over, take charge and make a call on that," Taylor said. "I think one of us has to take a shot right there. I always want the ball. I wish I would have dove. It's tough when that ball falls, and we're all standing on our feet like that." With Martin on second, first base open and two outs in a key situation, Rizzo was surprised the Nationals brought in left-hander Oliver Perez to face him. Why not just walk him? Cubs manager Joe Maddon viewed it as a sign of respect for cleanup-hitting catcher Willson Contreras. After he was thrown out to end the inning, Rizzo pounded his chest and shouted, "Respect me!" "That's the mentality I take, always, with the base open. I want to make guys pay," Rizzo said. "Usually I keep that stuff behind the scenes and say that stuff, but just my emotions got me there." The slugging first baseman has earned that level of respect in this series, driving in five of the eight runs the Cubs have scored as they've claimed a 2-1 lead in the NLDS, with a chance to clinch today. It was Rizzo's third gamewinning RBI in the playoffs and his ninth straight postseason game with a hit, the third-longest streak in Cubs history.

16 Has he developed a knack for collecting hits in key situations? "There are some guys that are like that," Maddon said. "I think a big reason is he uses the whole field. He's not always trying to pull the baseball. He can hit the ball in the seats and then he can hit you a bloop or line drive to the left." On Monday, it was a bloop. But for the Cubs, it was as good as any line drive or towering home run. "It doesn't matter how hard he hit it," Bryant said. "It fell, and we won." Cubs.com Debut beauty: Quintana unfazed by pressure By Adam Berry CHICAGO After all the build-up and curiosity over how he would handle the playoff stage for the first time, Jose Quintana refused to play the part of inexperienced postseason pitcher on Monday. The veteran left-hander thrived in his postseason debut, allowing just one unearned run on two hits and a walk while striking out seven over 5 2/3 innings in the Cubs' 2-1 win over the Nationals at Wrigley Field in Game 3 of the National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile. "You couldn't even tell it was his first start," third baseman Kris Bryant said. "He was totally in control and looked awesome out there." Lined up against Washington ace Max Scherzer, who carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Quintana showed no anxiety in the pivotal, pressure-packed Game 3 and no fear of a Nationals lineup he had never faced. "Our guy matched [Scherzer], which we needed," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "You had to match that great pitching performance with another one, and we did." Quintana retired the first five hitters he faced without letting a ball escape the infield. He got some help from his defense, particularly from center fielder Jon Jay and right fielder Jason Heyward, but a mistake by left fielder Kyle Schwarber brought an earlier-than-expected end to his outing. Quintana had retired six straight hitters, four of them on strikeouts, as he took the mound to face Daniel Murphy with two outs in the sixth inning. Murphy hit a fastball to left field, but Schwarber misplayed the catchable fly ball then booted it around the warning track in left. Murphy raced to third base, and Maddon walked onto the field to remove Quintana. Maddon was booed by the home crowd as he took the ball from Quintana, but the Cubs decided before the inning began that Quintana would not face the right-handed-hitting Ryan Zimmerman a third time. So Quintana departed to a standing ovation, then Zimmerman smacked an RBI double to right field against reliever Pedro Strop. "Strop has a much better chance for a punchout as opposed to Quintana," Maddon said. "You don't want the ball to be moved [put in play], and he moved the baseball." Still, Quintana gave the Cubs what they expected and needed. He became the fifth pitcher in Cubs history to throw at least five innings without allowing an earned run in his first career postseason appearance, a feat most recently accomplished by Jake Arrieta in the 2015 NL Wild Card Game. "He just proved that he's a gamer," Ben Zobrist said. "He's been looking great lately, and he pitched great again today. Hopefully we can get him out there again." If he does pitch again this month, he won't have to answer any more questions about handling the postseason pressure. He did that Monday.

17 "I just tried to do my job," Quintana said. "It was the first time for me in the postseason, a different feeling for sure. Just focusing on throwing the ball well." Cubs.com Edwards enjoys sweet taste of redemption By Phil Rogers CHICAGO Does Cubs manager Joe Maddon trust reliever Carl Edwards Jr.? That's the wrong question. Of course Maddon trusts Edwards. He brought him in to pitch the 10th inning in Game 7 of the World Series last year, and Maddon used Edwards more often than anyone else in the Cubs' bullpen this season. He wasn't going to bail on him just because he served up a monstrous home run to Bryce Harper in Game 2 of the National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile. But what about Edwards? Would he still trust himself after giving up the Harper homer, even if he faced Harper again? That was the question on the table Monday at Wrigley Field, and it took only five pitches to Harper for it to be answered. Two days after being the losing pitcher, Edwards was the winning pitcher of the Cubs' 2-1 win in Game 3 on Monday. "I'm really happy for him, seriously, because that's something you don't want a kid to carry with him too far,'' Maddon said. "He's going to be a big part of our future, so bully for him.'' Edwards struck out Harper in the middle of a perfect eighth inning, then celebrated Anthony Rizzo's game-winning single, which puts the Cubs in position to eliminate the Nationals today. "I was excited,'' Edwards said. "I told you [after the] last outing that I wanted really, really bad [to get back out there]. Just me getting back out there really helped a lot.'' Maddon has counted on Edwards since the middle of the 2016 season, when it became clear he could throw strikes with a high-spin-rate fastball that hitters had trouble catching up to. He struck out 94 batters in 66 1/3 innings this season, the sixth-best strikeout rate in the Majors among pitchers who threw at least 65 innings. Maddon had little doubt the 26-year-old Edwards would bounce back after hanging a curveball to Harper. He had kept his eye on him since that crucial moment at Nationals Park, and was convinced the quiet man from Prosperity, S.C., was just fine. "I talked to him [briefly],'' Maddon said. "I patted him on the plane the other night. I just said, 'Hey, man, we're good.' He smiled, and I knew he was fine. [I] watched him yesterday in our little brunch [during an informal workout] and saw him talking with his family and everybody. [He] looked good. "He's got tremendous talent, and he came back and, [against] pretty much the same part of the batting order, did it again.'' Maddon had used Pedro Strop after pulling Jose Quintana in the sixth inning a move that didn't work initially. Ryan Zimmerman's double off Strop gave Washington a 1-0 lead. But Strop retired Jayson Werth to end the sixth and stayed in to work a perfect seventh against the bottom of the lineup. Edwards was warming up when the Cubs tied the game on Albert Almora Jr.'s pinch-hit single off reliever Sammy Solis, and Maddon turned to him to face the big boys.