Cubs Top Dodgers In Game 5, Sit 1 Win Away From First World Series Berth Since 1945
(CBS) The Cubs have taken control of the National League Championship Series and now sit one win away from their first World Series berth since 1945.
Behind strong work from left-hander Jon Lester and sparked by a go-ahead two-run homer from the rejuvenated Addison Russell in the sixth inning, Chicago earned an 8-4 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night, grabbing a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. That means two chances are looming at Wrigley Field this weekend for the Cubs to advance to the World Series for the first time in 71 years.
The night's biggest hit came from Russell, who struggled so mightily through the first seven games of the postseason that some outsiders wondered if manager Joe Maddon would bench him for a night. He's responded, most significantly Thursday by drilling a hanging slider from Dodgers reliever Joe Blanton into the left-center field seats for a two-run shot that broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the sixth after Chicago had squandered several scoring opportunities earlier.
Lester went seven innings to earn the win, allowing one earned run on five hits and a walk while striking out six. The only run he allowed came in the fourth inning, when the Dodgers tied the game at 1-1 when they exploited his disinclination for holding runners on. Howie Kendrick doubled, stole third base and scored on an Adrian Gonzalez RBI groundout.
With Lester done after seven innings with a 3-1 lead, the Cubs broke the game open with a five-run eighth inning. Dexter Fowler and Kris Bryant each had infield hits that drove in runs, and Javier Baez put the dagger in the Dodgers with a three-run double.
Baez was 3-of-5 with three RBIs and a run. Russell, Fowler, Bryant and Anthony Rizzo each had two hits. Rizzo's RBI double gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
Game 6 is set for Saturday at 7:08 p.m. in Chicago. Cubs right-hander and MLB ERA champion Kyle Hendricks will oppose Dodgers ace left-hander Clayton Kershaw.