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And the H.I.T.S. just keep on coming…
With the exception of some garbage-time touchdown drives, Matt Eberflus and the Cowboys’ defense shut down Justin Fields and the Jets’ offense.
Through three quarters, Fields had 148 passing yards, zero touchdowns and had been sacked five times for -49 yards.
Against that same defense two weeks ago, Caleb Williams was named NFC Player of the Week.
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Things…did not go well for the Cubs in Saturday’s NLDS opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. Now, after Sunday’s off-day, the Cubs need a win tonight to even the series before it heads to Chicago.
A Very Boyd Decision: Cubs manager Craig Counsell’s decision to start Matthew Boyd in Game 1 on short rest backfired, plain and simple.
Boyd, who’s thrown — including the postseason — 184.2 innings this year (career-high is 185.1 in 2019), surrendered six runs (four unearned) and recorded just two outs before being replaced by Michael Soroka.
Counsell said after Saturday’s loss: “We picked Matt Boyd to pitch. I don't know what to say. He pitched; it didn't go well. We've got to make decisions. We went with Matt. We're very comfortable — I was very comfortable putting Matt Boyd on the mound [Saturday]. The whole organization was comfortable putting Matt Boyd on the mound [Saturday].”
Not Enough: The Cubs’ offense has scored just nine runs through four postseason games.
Despite the poor output, they’ve also hit six home runs — yet all six have come without anybody else on base. In fact, the Cubs haven’t scored multiple runs on a single play this postseason.
So far this postseason, the Cubs are 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position and have left 22 men on base. They’ve also struck out a whopping 47 times.
Game 2: Counsell will send Shota Imanaga to the mound tonight. Brewers manager Pat Murphy will counter with lefty reliever Aaron Ashby as an opener. RHP Quinn Priester is expected to relieve Ashby out of the bullpen.
Imanaga last pitched in last Wednesday’s loss to the Padres, coming in to start the second inning after Counsell opted to use Andrew Kittredge as an opener.
In four innings of work, Imanaga allowed three hits, including a two-run homer to Manny Machado.
On Imanaga, Counsell said Sunday: “The thing that I love most about Shota is that he's a competitor, and I think he's a thinking-man's competitor, and he also pitches with a lot of joy on the mound while competing at a really high level.
“He doesn't come across as this fierce competitor, because he's really joyful on the mound, so that doesn't come across as fierce necessarily. But I think he's a fierce competitor. He does it by trying to figure out a way to get you out, and he's trying to figure out a way to be better, and that's going on pitch to pitch.”
The good news for the Cubs? Saturday was just one game. The series is not over — just as it wasn’t when John Lackey shut the Cubs out in Game 1 of the 2015 NLDS.
How they respond tonight should give us a good indication of what we can expect when the series comes back to Chicago on Wednesday.
And thanks to Aaron Civale and Ben Brown’s 6.1 innings of mop-up duty on Saturday, most of the Cubs’ bullpen should be well-rested when called upon tonight.
NOT QUITE READY: White Sox top prospect Braden Montgomery won’t be ready for the start of the Arizona Fall League after suffering a fracture in his right foot a month ago with the Birmingham Barons.
Montgomery should debut in the AFL in a few weeks, according to James Fegan.
Acquired by the Sox in December 2024 in the deal that sent LHP Garrett Crochet to Boston, Montgomery split 121 games between Single-A, High-A and Double-A this past season, slashing .270/.360/.444 with 12 home runs.
SIGNED: The Blackhawks have signed defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to a one-year deal worth $1 million. Grzelcyk, a nine-year veteran, spent training camp with the Blackhawks on a professional tryout.
Grzelcyk, 31, tallied a career-high 40 points (39 assists) with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season.
✈️ ROCKFORD: The Blackhawks assigned several players, including defenseman Nolan Allan and forwards Ryan Greene and Oliver Moore, to the Rockford IceHogs to begin the season. Allan, Greene and Moore combined to play 54 games in the NHL last season — Allan played in 43.
The Blackhawks’ roster to begin the regular season on Tuesday afternoon has eight defensemen, including Grzelcyk, Louis Crevier and Ethan Del Mastro.
Tonight!
NLDS GAME 2 WATCH PARTY & LIVE SHOWS!
Come hang out with @LukeStuckmeyer @joeysportsguy @LiveWithRoman and the CHGO crew at Old Crow on MONDAY!
Live pregame and postgame!
FREE RSVP: allchgo.com/event/chgo-cub…
— #CHGO Cubs (#@CHGO_Cubs)
9:29 PM • Oct 4, 2025
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