Chicagoland has been buzzing ever since the Cubs got hot after the All-Star break last year. Almost all the talk around town and in the school is the potential of the Cubs winning the World Series. As exciting as the idea may be, it is also important to enjoy the ride. What Cubs’ fans need to know is that the last time the Cubs won the NLCS was back in 1945. 99.9% of you reading this article weren’t alive to hear Bill Slater and Al Helfer call the NLCS on the radio. Needless to say, the Cubs winning the NL Pennant would be significant by itself.

If the Cubs want to have a high chance at winning the NLCS, they would have to win game five on the road out in Los Angeles with ace pitcher Jon Lester on the mound. Lester faced off against Kenta Maeda, whom he faced in game one of the series. Lester once again proved to be dominant, but was his start good enough to beat the Dodgers? 

Unlike some of the games that we have seen at the beginning of this series, the runs began to accumulate quickly. The Cubs carried their momentum from Wednesday night’s win into the first inning of game five. After Dexter Fowler singled, Anthony Rizzo hit a double to right field–with Matt Szczur’s bat once again–easily scoring Fowler and giving the Cubs a 1-0 advantage early. Of course, the Cubs would need more runs as the game continued. One run in October is never enough.

In the fourth inning, the Dodgers got on the board for the first time thanks to an Adrian Gonzalez RBI single. At this point in the game, the Cubs momentum had vanished. The game was tied at one and the Dodgers’ faithful were going berserk. Joe Maddon was all of a sudden faced with the question of taking Lester out and going to the bullpen, or seeing if he could find his way out of the inning and hold them to one in the next few. Maddon’s decision proved to be intelligent as Lester stayed.

Backed by some lights out pitching, the sixth inning was the point where the Cubs took back the lead. Addison Russell, who also homered yesterday, rectifying his playoffs out of a horrific slump, wasn’t done yet. On an 0-1 count to Russell, Joe Blanton left a pitch over the plate that Russell made him pay for. Russell hit yet another two run home run with the exit velocity of 104. This time instead of extending the lead, it gave the Cubs the lead. 

After Lester’s seven strong innings concluded, the Cubs decided it was time to conclude game five. In the top of the 8th the Cubs scored five additional runs that they got from playing scrappy baseball. It took bunts, infield hits, and of course a Baez three run double to put the Dodgers in their misery. Yet again the Dodgers bullpen had failed. The final push in the 8th inning for the Cubs sealed their victory.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Dodgers scored three more runs off of Chapman, but couldn’t get the seven that they needed. Regardless of the rough save by Chapman, the Cubs had won game five and are now heading home looking to clinch the NL Pennant for the first time since 1945.

My game five takeaway is the struggles of the Dodgers bullpen. Kenta Maeda was pitching relatively solidly against the Cubs. Dave Roberts thought otherwise and turned to the Dodgers bullpen early to try and seal up a Dodgers game five win. Two pitchers come to mind when you discuss the weakness of the Dodgers bullpen–Joe Blanton and Pedro Baez. Even though both had strong regular seasons, they just don’t seem to have it the postseason. Blanton gave up the big grand-slam to Montero in game one as well as Russell’s go ahead home run last night. Baez coughed up two runs in the 8th last night as well. The Cubs have had no problem hitting off of these pitchers and if the Dodgers want to comeback in this series, they will need Kershaw to go for most of game six. Or, they will need their bullpen to step up on one of baseball’s biggest stages.

This is it. A winner is determined this weekend. The Cubs are a game away from winning the NL Pennant for the first time since ’45 while the Dodgers haven’t reached the World Series since ’88. The Cubs will be playing the Dodgers at home in the friendly confines in game six. The last time the Cubs played at home in game six of the NLCS was in 2003, when that one guy by the name of Steve Bartman became the number one man on Chicago’s most wanted list. It seems like it’s about time for the Cubs to update their history.

Game six won’t be easy for the Cubs. They will have Hendricks going while the Dodgers have their ace, Clayton Kershaw, on the mound. Kershaw pitched a seven inning shutout against the Cubs earlier in the series and looks to do it again. Catch the action at 6:00 of FS1 and read up on the Cubs game six wrap-up Sunday morning. Well, Cubs’ fans, this is what you’ve been waiting for. This weekend determines if the Cubs will have a shot at winning the World Series.