Jake Arrieta was far from perfect Monday night, but the Chicago Cubs managed to slug their way to victory in a pivotal Game 3 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Powered by their young stars, the Cubs blasted six home runs against Michael Wacha and Co. to take a 2-1 lead in the National League Division Series.
Kyle Schwarber, Starlin Castro, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Jorge Soler and Dexter Fowler each hit a homer, and Wacha couldn’t escape the fifth inning. The Cubs became the first team in postseason history to have six different players hit a home run in one game.
The Cardinals got new life with Jason Heyward’s two-run homer in the sixth inning, which trimmed their deficit to 5-4. It was the first time since June 16 that Arrieta gave up four runs in a game, and he entered Monday night having given up only four runs since the start of August. The Cubs, however, re-extended their lead with Soler’s two-run shot in the bottom of the frame and never looked back.
Arrieta picked up his second victory of the postseason, and the Cubs will look to close out the series in Game 4 at Wrigley Field on Tuesday night.
Final: Cubs 8, Cardinals 6
Follow Dan Ferrara on Twitter @BigRed_BR for more postseason coverage.
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