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NLCS Game 5: Late rally pushes Cubs to brink of World Series

Slump? What slump? Just two days ago, many were wondering what happened to the Chicago Cubs’ vaunted offense. After the past two games, they have their answer.

The Cubs bats came alive once again during Thursday’s 8-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series.

It took a while for Chicago to get things going, though. Things were fairly tense early on, as both starters kept things close. Kenta Maeda appeared to be on the ropes in the first inning, but rebounded to toss a decent start against Chicago.

Maeda may have settled down during his start, but Jon Lester remained fired up the entire way. The left-hander turned in a dominant performance against Los Angeles for seven innings, even though the Dodgers were doing everything in their power to make him uncomfortable.

The contest remained tight until the sixth inning, when Addison Russell launched a two-run homer to give the Cubs some breathing room. Then, in the eighth, Chicago’s offense came alive. The Cubs took advantage of some questionable defense by Los Angeles to score five runs and put the game out of reach.

With the win, the Cubs take a 3-2 lead in the series. They are just one victory away from their first World Series appearance since 1945.

Javier Baez turned in yet another excellent game in October. (Getty Images/Jeff Gross)
Javier Baez turned in yet another excellent game in October. (Getty Images/Jeff Gross)

• Javier Baez put up yet another excellent game. Baez’s bases-clearing double in the eighth inning was the final nail in the coffin for Los Angeles. That wasn’t his only contribution, though. Baez doubled in the fourth and singled in the sixth. He finished 3-for-5, with one run scored and three RBI. Oh, and he also had another tremendous defensive play on an Adrian Gonzalez bunt in the seventh inning.

• The Dodgers did all they could to get into Jon Lester’s head early, but none of it worked. Lester overcame bunt attempts, huge leads on the base paths and a wonky strike zone to toss a gem against Los Angeles. The left-hander gave up just one run over seven innings. He allowed five hits, one walk and struck out six.

• Addison Russell came through once again. The 22-year-old delivered one of the biggest hits of the night with his two-run shot in the sixth inning. Prior to the homer, Russell had struck out in his first two at-bats, so it couldn’t have come at a better time for the shortstop.

• It was a disastrous appearance for Dodgers reliever Pedro Baez. The reliever lasted just two-thirds of an inning, giving up five runs (one earned) on three hits. His line could have, and maybe should have, been much worse. The huge inning started thanks to a throwing error by Baez on an Addison Russell grounder. It all went downhill from there.

• For the second time in the series, Joe Blanton gave up a crucial home run. Blanton turned in a fine regular season, and had been one of Los Angeles’ best options in the pen, but his workload may have finally caught up to him in October. Blanton gave up three hits, including Russell’s huge two-run homer in 1 1/3 innings of work during Game 5.

With the Dodgers down by one two in the eighth, manager Dave Roberts called upon reliever Pedro Baez to keep things close. He didn’t get off to a great start. Baez misplayed a grounder by Addison Russell to open the inning. Russell wound up on second because of the play, and the error opened up the door for the Cubs to score five runs in the inning.

Jon Lester and the Cubs are on the precipice of a World Series appearance. (Getty Images/Jeff Gross)
Jon Lester and the Cubs are on the precipice of a World Series appearance. (Getty Images/Jeff Gross)

Wait a minute. Are the Cubs actually going to appear in their first World Series since 1945? There was plently of gloom and doom after the Cubs dropped Game 3, but the team has turned in two straight impressive games to take back the series lead. The club now sits just one game away from the World Series. Getting that final win will be no easy task, though.

That’s because Clayton Kershaw is taking the mound for Los Angeles in Game 6. Kershaw has quieted all the doubters this postseason, and will have to do it again with his team’s season on the line. Being down 3-2 in a playoff series is never a good thing, but the Dodgers have to feel all right about having Kershaw on the mound in a do or die situation.

Javier Baez has been the breakout star for Chicago this October.

Jon Lester has been incredible over his career in the postseason.

The NLCS takes a break Friday as both teams travel back to Chicago for Game 6. That contest will take place Saturday, Oct. 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET at Wrigley Field. With the Dodgers’ season in the balance, Clayton Kershaw (12-4, 1.69 ERA) will take the mound against Kyle Hendricks (16-8, 2.13 ERA).

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik