Matt Shaw entered Thursday hitless in five at-bats with four walks during the first three games of the National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.
He broke out in Game 4 with two hits, including a crucial RBI single in the sixth inning of the 6-0 victory at Wrigley Field.
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The third baseman went 2-for-3 with one walk and one RBI. He’s 2-for-15 with five walks this postseason.
“You want to help the team any way you can, especially in October,” Shaw said. “Being able to go out there and have a better game was really nice.”
The Cubs led 3-0 in the sixth when Shaw batted with runners on first and second with one out. Reliever Aaron Ashby got ahead in the count 0-2 and threw a low curveball. Shaw connected and drove the ball to center for the RBI single.
“I was just trying to stay aggressive in the two-strike count,” Shaw said. “Not get too passive. And catch something out in front.
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“And I recognized it early. It definitely wasn’t a great pitch to swing at, but able to get the job done. So that was good.”
Manager Craig Counsell said it was the type of hit Shaw has provided time and again.
“That’s just to put the ball in play and see what happens type of hit,” Counsell said. “But he’s stayed in the lineup because his defense has been so darned good. And in low-scoring run environments, that’s important.
“But obviously offensively to make a contribution, you feel so much better going to sleep at night.”
Delivering in relief
The Cubs called on reliever Daniel Palencia with two outs in the fifth inning. They led 3-0, but the Brewers had runners on second and third with Jackson Chourio coming to the plate.
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“I was ready mentally,” Palencia said.
Chourio swung at the right-hander’s first pitch and hit a popup to shortstop Dansby Swanson for the final out of the inning.
“Thanks to God everything went well,” Palencia said.
Palencia allowed one hit in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. He was credited with the win after following starter Matthew Boyd, who allowed two hits in 4 2/3 scoreless innings.
“He’s been great all year,” Palencia said of Boyd. “He’s always giving me advice. The last homer I gave up (to Chourio in Game 2), he talked to me, ‘Bro, we’re going to need you.’ And right now, it feels good being there for him. I told him, ‘I’ve got your back.’ It feels good.”
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Another day, another home run
Michael Busch provided Thursday’s exclamation point with a solo home run in the eighth inning.
In the process, he became the first Cubs batter with at least four homers in a single postseason since Kyle Schwarber hit five in 2015.
“It’s been fun,” said Busch, who also hit leadoff home runs in Games 1 and 3 of the NLDS along with a solo shot in the seventh inning in Game 3 of the wild-card series against the San Diego Padres. “Just trying to have a good at-bat each and every time I go up there.
“Just up and down the lineup, that’s the kind of job we create. It’s fun when things are clicking in this lineup, it’s really good, really deep, the guys on bench — we’ve done a really good job the last couple of days.”
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One at-bat, two replays for Carson Kelly
The Cubs catcher circled the bases in the seventh inning for what was initially ruled a two-run home run to left field. But after a video review, the call was overturned.
“I thought I hit it past the pole, but apparently it did not,” Kelly said.
The at-bat continued and Kelly hit a grounder to shortstop Joey Ortiz, who initially looked to second base before throwing to first. Kelly was called out on a close play, and the Cubs challenged the ruling. After another review, the call was upheld.
“I was really tired from running the bases (on the near home run) and then I was, what, one half a step being out at first,” Kelly joked. “There’s got to be a record for that, right? Two replays in one at-bat.
He continued with a chuckle: “Both overturned against me. It’s like a kick in the face. But we got the win and you live to fight another day.”