CHICAGO: The World Series will be returning to Cleveland for Game 6.
A three-run rally in the fourth inning was enough for the Chicago Cubs with Jon Lester and Aroldis Chapman recording 26 of their 27 outs.
The Indians threatened several times but were unable to capitalize enough in a 3-2 loss in Game 5 of the World Series at Wrigley Field on Sunday night.
Josh Tomlin will pitch for the Indians on short rest against the Cubs’ Jake Arrieta on Tuesday night at Progressive Field. The Indians lead the series 3-2 and need one more win for the club’s first championship since 1948.
The Indians struck first in the second inning. After Lester quickly retired the first five batters he faced, Jose Ramirez drilled a solo home run to left field to put the Indians on top 1-0.
But for the first time this postseason, the Indians lost a lead and couldn’t get it back.
Trevor Bauer cruised through the first three innings. In the fourth, the Cubs’ bats woke up — or better yet, warmed up — in the cold Chicago air.
Kris Bryant, one of the leading Most Valuable Player candidates in the National League, led off the inning by crushing a solo home run to left-center field, tying it 1-1 and sending the Wrigley Field crowd to its feet. On the next pitch, Anthony Rizzo drilled a ball off the right-field wall for a double. Ben Zobrist followed with a single to put runners on the corners and Rizzo scored on an infield single by Addison Russell
Bauer responded by striking out Jason Heyward, but Javier Baez then laid down a picture-perfect bunt to load the bases. David Ross followed by driving a fly ball to left field, deep enough to score Zobrist and put the Cubs ahead 3-1.
The Indians failed to cut the lead in half in the fifth but succeeded in the sixth. Carlos Santana led off the fifth with a double and went to third on a groundout but was stranded there by Lester, who struck out Brandon Guyer and got Roberto Perez on a ground ball to end the inning.
In the sixth, Francisco Lindor, the Indians’ most consistent hitter this postseason, came through again. Rajai Davis singled and stole second with one out. After Jason Kipnis was called out on strikes, Lindor lined a single to left-center to cut the Cubs’ lead to 3-2. Lindor was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning.
The Indians threatened in the seventh and eighth but were shut down by Aroldis Chapman, the hardest-throwing pitcher in baseball. He entered with Mike Napoli on second and one out in the seventh and proceeded to strike out Ramirez, hit Guyer with a 100-mph pitch and then induce Perez to ground out.
The tying run was stranded 90 feet from the plate in the eighth. Davis reached on an infield single on which Chapman didn’t cover first base. He then stole second and third, toying with Chapman the entire inning and forcing numerous mound visits. But, with two outs, Chapman struck out Lindor with a 102-mph pitch at the knees, again leaving the Indians one hit short.
Chapman closed the door in the ninth to finish an eight-out save to force Game 6.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RyanLewisABJ