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Dodgers Comeback Falls Short as Cubs Take Game 1 of NLCS with Grand Slam in 8-4 Victory

Miguel Montero hit a grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the eighth and the Los Angeles Dodgers comeback fell short in an 8-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs in Game One of the NLCS at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs curse might be coming to a grand end.

Miguel Montero hit a grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the eighth and the Los Angeles Dodgers comeback fell short in an 8-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs in Game One of the NLCS at Wrigley Field.

The Dodgers tied the game off Cubs' closer Aroldis Chapman with two outs in the top half of the eighth when Adrian Gonzalez hit a two-run single on a 103 MPH fastball.

"Throughout his career he's gotten so many big hits," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Gonzalez. "When things get stressful he finds a way to calm down and take a good swing. When you have a guy throwing 100 MPH its tough, but he made a good swing. I thought we were going to win the game."

They didnt. As most people thought the momentum shifting to the visitor's dugout, Miguel Montero changed everything with one swing.

Ben Zobrist led off the eighth inning with a double and after an intentional walk to Jayson Heyward, Blanton got Javier Baez to pop out for the second out of the inning.

"In that situation you have to walk Heyward with the base open," explained Roberts. "I looked at the card and saw Chapman still in there, so for me,  I wanted to get him out of the game."

The high stakes game of chess then reached it's apex as Roberts called for the intentional walk of pinch-hitter Chris Coghlan to force Cubs manager Joe Maddon into making a game-changing decision.

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Maddon either had to send Chapman to the plate with the bases loaded if he wanted him to pitch the ninth, or remove him from the game for a pinch-hitter and a chance to end it with one swing.

"It was a tough decision, but give Chapman credit for keeping the game tied before that," Maddon said. "We did not lose the lead in the eighth inning so give him a lot of credit."

He opted for the latter and the move paid off as Montero crushed an 0-2 slider into the bleacher seats in right field as the Cubs opened up a 7-3 lead.

"Miggy [Miguel Montero] grabbed that one and it was really special," Maddon said.

One batter later, Dexter Fowler followed with a home run of his own in the same area as the Cubs went back-to-back off Blanton to blow the game open and increase their chances of advancing to the World Series.

"I trusted Joe [Blanton] would throw strikes," a discouraged Roberts said of the bottom of the eighth after the game. "If I had brought in the left-hander, they would have brought in Contreas. I trust Joe. I've trusted him all year long. He got ahead and left a pitch up."

Overall, the Dodgers were unlucky in the first game of the best-of-seven series as they hit the ball hard of Cubs' starter Jon Lester but had nothing to show for it for the first four innings. 

"Baseball is funny," said Roberts. "You can square balls up and have nothing to show for it, or you can hit some flares that find the outfield grass."

Other than Montero, the MVP of the was the Chicago Cubs defense, which was ranked No. 1 in defensive efficiency during the regular season.

Fowler backed up his offense with two sensational diving catches during the course of the game and the Cubs position players took a handful of hits away from the Dodgers batters.

The Dodgers were second in the league in defensive efficiency, but it was more like an inefficiency in Game One.

Kris Bryant put the Cubs on the board first when he hit a fly ball to left field that was misplayed by Howie Kendrick. The ball bounced off the ivy for an RBI double as Chicago led 1-0 after one frame.

The bad luck continued for the boys in blue as as Javier Baez hit a bloop double that scored Jayson Heyward who led off the second inning with a triple.

A few pitches later, Baez advanced to third on a wild pitch and then stole home to score the third run of the game. It was the first steal of home at Wrigley Field in postseason history and was aided by two bad throws by Carlos Ruiz and Justin Turner. 

But Baez wasn't the only one who received some help on the night as Ethier got a nice gust of win to put the Dodgers on the board in the top of the fifth inning.

The move to use Ethier was questionable as the veteran left-hander struggles against southpaws, but it paid off as the Dodgers scored a run and cut down the lead.

Ethier pinch-hit for Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda who allowed three runs on four hits with three walks and two strikeouts in four short innings for Los Angeles. 

"Kenta was a victim of a little bit of bad luck tonight," Roberts said of his starter. "I thought Maeda was good. He competed well and gave us everything he had."

Lester did not factor in the decision, allowing one run on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts in six strong innings. 

"I thought tonight Jon wasn't on top of his game," added Maddon. "I didn't think he had his best stuff tonight."

Chapman vulture the win by virtue of being the pitcher of record when Montero hit the grand slam in the bottom of the eighth.

The Dodgers tried to rally off the mat in the ninth, and scored a run on an RBI double by Andrew Toles, but the comeback fell short when Chase Utley lined out to first base and Toles was doubled up at second to end the game.

Los Angeles trails the best-of-seven series 1-0 with Game Two set for 5:08 PM PST on Sunday at Wrigley Field.

Players of the Game:

Miguel Montero: Game-winning Grand Slam.
Adrian Gonzale: Game-tying two-run single.
Andre Ethier: Pinch-hit home run.

Three Takeaways:

1. Pitching Changes Dave Roberts and the Los Angeles Dodgers shattered the all-time MLB record for pitching changes in a season with 607 in 2016. They are the only ream in MLB history with more than 575 pitching changes in a season and a winning record. The Dodgers are also the only team in postseason history that won a series where their relievers pitched more inning than their starters.

2. Home Insurance: The Dodgers should call Sate Farm for a home insurance quote after Javier Baez stole home on them to score the third run of the game for the Cubs. Baez took a large lead off third and then took off for the plate when catcher Carlos Ruiz threw to third. Justin Turner's throw home was high and Baez slid under the tag for the score.

3. You're a Grand Ol' Man, Montero: Cubs' catcher Miguel Montero hit only the third pinch-hit postseason grand slam in MLB Playoff history, joining Mark Lewis (Reds) in 1995 and Ricky Ledee (Yankees) in 1999.

Up Next:

Dodgers (0-1): Clayton Kershaw will start Game 2 on Sunday, just a few days after recording the save in Game 5 of the NLDS.

Cubs (1-0): NL ERA leader Kyle Hendricks will start for the Chicago in Game 2 at 5:00PM PST at Wrigley Field.

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