Cubs make bold decision for Game 2 starter vs. Padres

The bullpen got it done in Game 1 

It didn’t take long for Counsell to go to his bullpen in Game 1, bringing in his best arm, Daniel Palencia, in the fifth inning to face Fernando Tatis Jr., who lined out to Seiya Suzuki in right field. Palencia went 1.2 innings while recording two strikeouts and handed things off to Drew Pomeranz, who pitched a scoreless seventh inning. 

After Kittredge pitched a scoreless eighth, the Cubs turned to right-hander Brad Keller to close things out, and he had to face the heart of the Padres order. Having three saves during the regular season, Keller pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning, getting Manny Machado to ground out on five pitches and Jackson Merrill to fly out to deep centerfield before striking out Xander Bogarts looking on a 97-mph fastball that came back across the plate.

Chicago Cubs need to handle business in Game 2 

With the pressure of winning Game 1 off their backs, the Cubs need to bear down and replicate what they did in the first game to move on to the division series. 

Padres starter Dylan Cease will have a short leash after what happened to Nick Pivetta, who gave up two earned runs in five innings on Monday, so the Cubs need to jump on him early to avoid Mason Miller again. On Monday, Miller struck out three Cubs hitters on 13 pitches, 10 of which were strikes and most averaging 100+ miles per hour.