Monday evening, the San Francisco Giants staved off elimination by defeating the Chicago Cubs, 6-5, in a dramatic 13-inning contest. In the bottom of the decisive frame, Joe Panik smacked a double to right field, driving in Brandon Crawford for the game’s winning run. In the process, the Giants also cut their deficit in this best-of-five National League Division Series to 2-1.
From the start of this wild affair and until Crawford crossed home plate, this game was filled with drama and emotion on both sides. In the second inning, last year’s NL Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta clubbed a three-home run off of Madison Bumgarner, one of the all-time great starting pitchers in postseason history. However, San Francisco was able to claw its way back into the game in by scoring runs in the third, fifth and eighth innings. Of note, San Francisco pushed three across in the bottom of the eighth to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead, though Kris Bryant would ultimately grab the lead back for the Cubs via a two-run bomb in the ninth. The Giants, however, would get the last laugh with Panik’s winning double, which could be the spark they need to keep their ‘even-year’ magic going.
With the Giants looking to stay alive once more and potentially thwart Chicago’s attempt at finally breaking the curse, it’s no surprise to see that Cubs vs. Giants tickets for Game 4 are trending high on the secondary market. In fact, according to Razorgator, the average ticket price is clocking in at a whopping $227.32, while the get-in price is as high as $81. Given the nature of the two storied clubs involved, fans should have expected these soaring prices. At the very least, those going to the game can save money on their parking at AT&T Park by visiting ParkWhiz.com, which sports numerous cheap options all around the stadium.
Despite suffering a tough loss, Chicago will give the ball to veteran John Lackey (11-8, 3.35 ERA) in Game 4. Lackey, who will be making his 21st career postseason start, is 2-1 with a 3.63 ERA in seven head-to-head starts opposite the Giants. San Francisco will counter with lefty Matt Moore (13-12, 4.08 ERA), whom the team picked up at the trade deadline from the Tampa Bay Rays. Over the latter part of the season, the Giants won six of Moore’s last eight starts, although this will be a new test for the southpaw, as he’s never faced the Cubs previously.
Right-handed hitters have clubbed 20 home runs off of Moore, so he’ll need to keep the ball down when facing the likes of Bryant, Ben Zobrist and Jorge Soler. After both offenses heated up in the latter portion of Game 3, it might be difficult for both pitchers to be at their best in this potentially series-deciding Game 4.
No matter what, after Monday night’s thrilling encounter, this is shaping up to be one of the most exciting games of the 2016 MLB playoffs. Will the Cubs finish things off and continue on their way towards hopefully winning their first title since 1908? Can the Giants pull off the comeback from down 2-0 and prove their ‘even-year’ magic is really a thing? First pitch is scheduled for 8:35 p.m. ET Tuesday evening.