Sights and sounds from Game 3 at Wrigley Field

Wrigley Field looked better than it has in months Saturday for Game 3 of the NLDS, with the re-sodded outfield, more new sod behind the home plate area, bunting hanging from the upper deck and the rooftops jammed with people.

The outfield had looked more like a grazing areas for cows since the concerts by The Police back on July 4-5 -- or at least that was how Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Nick McLouth described it last month.

Cubs outfielder Matt Murton checked out the new grass in left and right field as soon as he got to the park.

"The outfielders just smiled when they saw it," Murton said. "Now in a 1-run ballgame when a line drive comes you won't be nervous about making a mistake."

These likely will be the last games played on the present playing surface, which is expected to be replaced and lowered during the off-season at a cost of more than $1 million.

A hard rain fell for a brief time about three hours prior to Game 3, but the tarp was pulled up and both teams were able to take batting practice.The only thing it interrupted was D'backs' pitcher Brandon Webb's bullpen session after just 15 pitches.It felt like a summer night on the North Side with a temperature of 83 degrees for the first pitch -- which-was sent into the left field bleachers by Arizona's Chris Young.The D'backs came from one of the roomiest, most luxurious clubhouses in baseball at Chase Field to the crawlspace that is the Wrigley Field clubhouse.Ever wonder why you see so many visiting players milling around their dugout so early before games? It's to escape the claustrophobic clubhouse.Cubs pitcher Sean Marshall brought over his dad to meet Hall of Famer Ernie Banks and get a baseball signed before the game.Banks later threw out the ceremonial first pitch."There was nobody who should do it but him," said Cubs broadcaster and former teammate Ron Santo.Arizona starter Livan Hernandez, who comes from all angles at all different speeds, threw a pitch so slow to Cliff Floyd in the third inning that it didn't even register on the radar gun.Then in the fourth with a runner at third and the D'backs ahead 3-1, Hernandez got Alfonso Soriano to pop to left on a 61 mph curveball.Nothing quiets a frenzied crowd quicker than a double play. That's what happened in the fifth inning, when with the bases loaded for the Cubs, one out, and the fans on their feet and cheering wildly, Mark DeRosa grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.Ever hear 40,000 people groan at the same time? It happened as soon as the ball left DeRosa's bat. 512356Cubs fans, left to right, Becca Vant of Aurora, Stephanie Mitchell of Lisle and Nicole Adkins head for their bleacher seats outside Wrigley Field.Joe Lewnard | Staff Photographer