Rozner: Weather or not, Cubs season on the brink

If Joe Maddon's got any more magic under that big blue hat, now would be the time to pull a rabbit out from under it.

A really big rabbit.

The Cubs are down 3-0 in the NLCS after dropping a 5-2 decision to the Mets at Wrigley Field Tuesday night, and this time they couldn't blame a bad strike zone or cold weather.

The Cubs had warm temps and a friendly wind in their home field, and even that wasn't the answer.

Jacob deGrom overcame a 29-pitch first inning and 2 solo home runs as he became the third straight Mets starter to shut down the Cubs' high-powered offense in a brilliant 7-inning performance that put the Cubs' season on the brink.

The Cubs' obsession with the frigid temps in New York was rather unlike a Joe Maddon team, which generally overcomes any and all distractions, and even finds a way to turn them into positives.

But the Cubs' focus regarding the weather has been considerable the last few days, especially after facing a hard-throwing staff in New York.

Thing is, this is the postseason and generally speaking it's going to be cold while facing very good pitching. This isn't a new phenomenon. October is chilly and the playoffs are stacked to the top deck with top-notch hurlers.

This is also Chicago, which — as it turns out — was warmer Tuesday night than New York was over the weekend, but this late in October it's more likely to be 40 degrees than 70 degrees and the Cubs better get used to it in the years to come.

“We have not swung the bats well,” said catcher Miguel Montero, who allowed the winning run to score on a dropped third strike. “They have good arms. We have to do better. Right now, every team left has good arms.”

The Mets scored first for the third straight game when Yoenis Cespedes doubled in a run in the top of the first off Kyle Hendricks, and then the Cubs followed through on their promise to make deGrom throw a lot of pitches.

Much like his Game 5 start in Los Angeles last week, deGrom had trouble early with fastball command and the Cubs saw 29 pitches in the first inning, one of which was deposited in the left field bleachers by Kyle Schwarber for his fifth home run of the postseason.

It was still 1-1 in the third when Daniel Murphy blasted one toward Murphy's Bleachers, only to have it stopped by humans and seats in the right-field bleachers, and it was 2-1 New York.

It was Murphy's sixth of the postseason and it gave him homers in 5 straight postseason games, tying Carlos Beltran's major league record set in 2004 with Houston.

“I can't explain it,” Murphy said. “If I could, I would have done it six years ago.”

The Cubs got a terrible break in the sixth when a dropped third strike on a wicked breaking ball by Trevor Cahill allowed the Mets to take a 3-2 lead, but then the Cubs got the break of the series when a ball rolling to the wall got stuck in the vines, saving the Cubs a run and probably two.

It looked like it might save their season and their World Series hopes, but the Mets got 2 more in the seventh and the Cubs were staring — essentially — at the end of their season, having not led in this series for even a single inning.

“They've made the plays and we haven't,” Hendricks said. “They don't give you many chances so we have to limit them better. They've outplayed us, no doubt.”

Only the 2004 Boston Red Sox have ever come back from down 3-0 to win a seven-game series in major league history, and the Cubs will have to do it against Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and deGrom, all of whom have already defeated the Cubs in this series and looked very good doing it.

“You can't look ahead because it's too daunting. You can only look at one game,” Hendricks said. “It's easier now, actually. You have to play the next one. You know if you lose that one, season's over. There's no way to look past that.”

That next one is Game 4 Wednesday night and the Cubs send to the mound Jason Hammel, who was nearly pulled for a pinch hitter in the second inning of his Game 4 start in the NLDS, and lasted only 3 innings.

The good news is the weather is supposed to be terrific again Wednesday night.

So, ya know, there's that.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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