There would be no flying of the W on Tuesday night.
The Cubs fell into a 3-0 hole in the National League Championship Series, losing to the Mets 5-2 in Game 3 at Wrigley Field. Maybe Cubs fans will get another chance to proclaim victory after Game 4, which starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Friendly Confines.
For now, we can think of a bunch of “w” words that fit Tuesday’s loss.
Wonky
Longtime Cubs anthem singer Wayne Messmer had some trouble getting the first note out before the game because of a microphone malfunction. He “solved” the problem by simply staring it down with an angry look on his face. Whatever works.
What the?
The home-plate umpire wasn’t making any friends in Cubs uniforms Tuesday. Dexter Fowler was guilty of a “didn’t I just walk?” bat flip as he struck out looking in the first. Jorge Soler almost did the same thing before grounding out to short to end the first. And all manager Joe Maddon could do was shake his head, bobblehead-style.
Wrongful
Daniel Murphy is just whaling on every pitch he sees right now. The Mets first baseman launched his sixth home run of the postseason in the third inning, becoming the first player to homer in five straight playoff games since 2004. This after hitting only 14 home runs in the regular season. Something doesn’t add up, especially if you’re a Cubs fan.
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Wicked
Despite giving up home runs to Kyle Schwarber (who else?) and Jorge Soler, Mets ace Jacob deGrom was difficult to solve for Cubs hitters. He surrendered just four hits to go with seven strikeouts in seven innings.
Wince-inducing
A handful of mistakes made things tougher on the Cubs than they needed to be. The Mets’ third run scored on a wild pitch, and Kyle Schwarber dropped a fly ball in left field that scored a run for New York.
Woeful
For the third straight game in this series, the Cubs just could not get the bats going. No one can use the weather as an excuse this time, with the temperature at summer-like 72 degrees at game time.
Wistful
Stanley Cup champions Andrew Shaw and Brent Seabrook of the Blackhawks attended Tuesday’s game, as did Cubs fan favorite Kerry Wood. They didn’t bring any magic with them, however. Or, the Cubs are just poised for the greatest comeback since the Red Sox erased a 3-0 deficit against the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS.
Chris Sosa is RedEye’s sports editor. @redeyesportschi
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