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Baez homer helps Cubs win a nailbiter in Game 1

If you've ever wondered why Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon talks incessantly about defense, wonder no more.

While the Cubs offense was taking its time getting going against San Francisco Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto, the defense wasn't resting.

More accurately, veteran catcher David Ross wasn't resting.

Ross threw out a potential basestealer in the first inning and picked off another in the third to keep batterymate Jon Lester out of trouble.

Lester and Cueto hooked up in a beauty of a pitchers duel with neither side scoring a run until Javier Baez hit a homer with one out in the eighth inning to give the Cubs a 1-0 victory in Game 1 of the National League division series.

Baez's home run was a high drive to left that fought off a northwest wind and nestled into the basket, much to the delight of the crowd of 42,148.

The home run was the game-winner, but playoff games turn on pitching and defense, and the Cubs had plenty of both. And as they see it, you can never have enough.

"No, you can't," said Lester, who worked 8 innings of 5-hit ball before giving way to closer Aroldis Chapman in the ninth. "It's kind of like football - defense wins championships. The quarterback gets all the glory, but at the end of the day, if you're allowing a lot of points, it doesn't really matter.

"Our defense has been unbelievable all year with guys bouncing around different positions … So Joe does it again, you know what I mean? It's crazy."

Here's what's even crazier. With Cueto dealing and the wind blowing the way it was, big-hitting Baez said he was thinking small ball.

"I was thinking about bunting, and the third baseman was playing in," said Baez, who usually starts at third base with Lester pitching but instead played second Friday. "So I knew Cueto was pitching me inside all night. Just waiting for him to make a mistake, and he did."

But thinking bunt?

"I was, I really was," Baez insisted. "With Cueto, that timing, that quick pitch, it's hard to get the timing down."

The big question going into Game 1 of the NLDS was whether the Cubs would come out flat after having not played since Sunday's regular-season finale at Cincinnati.

That didn't seem to bother Maddon.

"I think we've done a nice job of keeping our guys ready," he said before the game. "I think our guys have reacted this week as well they possibly could. Now you just got to go out there and play. So we react to that actual moment. I'm confident in our guys. I trust our guys."

Lester looked every bit the pitcher who went 5-0 with an 0.48 ERA in September to win pitcher-of-the-month honors.

He gave up a single to Gorkys Hernandez to begin the game. The Giants might have thought they could run on Lester, who has well-documented issues throwing to the bases. But Lester and Ross nixed that notion quickly was Ross easily threw out Hernandez trying to steal second base.

Giants No. 8 hitter Conor Gillaspie led off the third with a single. With Cueto batting, Ross picked Gillaspie off at first base. Second baseman Baez was playing on the bag with first baseman Anthony Rizzo in near the second-base position with a different glove anticipating the bunt.

"It's going to come down to execution," Ross said. "That's what playoff baseball is."

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