Cubs Score Four in Ninth Off Giants' Imploding Bullpen; Advance to NLCS

Holy poop on a stick!!!

The San Francisco Giants were on the verge of forcing a Game 5 of the NLDS. Giants starter Matt Moore pitched 8 beautiful innings limiting the Cubs to two runs while fanning 10 batters. The Giants had a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth.

On Twitter, I posed the following question, "Will Bochy give Matt Moore the MadBum treatment & bring back him out for the 9th? Or does he go to his shaky bullpen?"

Bruce Bochy went to his shaky bullpen. I then Tweeted this:

Bochy takes out Moore in the 9th & Derek Law promptly gives up a single to Kris Bryant. An omen?

It was an omen. It took four Giants relievers - Law, Javier Lopez, Sergio Romo, Will Smith - before they recorded an out. By this time the game was tied.

Then came Hunter Strickland who gave up a go ahead single to Cubs second baseman Javier Baez. Five Giants' relievers could not hold a three run lead.

Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman, who faltered in Game 4, struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth. The Giants' even year streak has run out while the Cubs advance to the NLCS for the second consecutive year. We will find out on Thursday if they play the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Washington Nationals as they go to a decisive Game 5 in their NLDS.

The Giants' bullpen, which was the team's Achilles' Heel during the second half of the season, proved to be the team's downfall.

Bruce Bochy should thank his lucky stars he's not managing the Red Sox. If he were here, Red Sox Nation would have called for his head. Bochy is a Hall of Fame manager with three World Series rings. He's made a lot of gambles and won. But he probably pushed the wrong button when he took Moore out of the game.

I feel most sorry for Giants third baseman Conor Gillaspie. He was having the run of his life going 4 for 4 after getting the go ahead hit off Chapman last night on top of the game winning home run in the NL Wild Card game.

Should the Cubs win the NLCS they will play their first World Series game since 1945. On the other hand, there hasn't been a World Series game played in Washington, D.C. since 1933. And the Dodgers would sure like to win one for Vin Scully.

The NLCS will commence at Wrigley Field on Saturday.