Oct 8, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Travis Wood (37) hits a home run against the San Francisco Giants during the fourth inning during game two of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball series at Wrigley Field. Photo Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs rocked Jeff Samardzija for four early runs Saturday night en route to a 5-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants and a 2-0 lead in their National League Division Series.
Chicago needs one more win to claim its second straight trip to the NL Championship Series and a meeting with the Los Angeles Dodgers or Washington Nationals.
Travis Wood, the second of six Cubs pitchers, earned the victory and belted a solo home run before an overflow crowd of 42,392 at Wrigley Field.
Aroldis Chapman worked a one-two-three ninth, striking out two, for his second save in two NLDS games.
Samardzija, who pitched for the Cubs between 2008-14, took the loss. He lasted two innings — the shortest outing of his career — before being pulled for a pinch hitter.
Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks delivered a two-run single to ignite the Cubs’ three-run second inning before departing in the fourth after taking an Angel Pagan line drive off his pitching arm.
Chicago’s Dexter Fowler fouled off three pitches before ripping a leadoff double to right in the first inning. He scored on Ben Zobrist’s two-out bloop single to right.
The Cubs hastened Samardzija’s departure as Jason Heyward belted a leadoff double, Javier Baez walked and Willson Contreras lined a base hit to right to load the bases with none out in the second.
Hendricks, a .138 hitter during the regular season, singled to shallow center to bring home Heyward and Baez for a 3-0 lead. Contreras reached third on Fowler’s sacrifice and came home on Kris Bryant’s base hit to right.
The Giants replied with two runs in the third while pulling Samardzija early for a pinch hitter.
Joe Panik doubled to lead off and scored on pinch hitter Gregor Blanco’s two-base hit to center. Blanco later scored on Brandon Belt’s two-out sacrifice to center.
Samardzija allowed four runs, six hits, walked one and struck out one in two innings. Right-hander George Kontos entered in relief in the third.
Hendricks’ outing ended with two out in the fourth. He threw several warm-up pitches after being struck, but was deemed unable to continue and was replaced by Wood. Hendricks worked 3 2/3 innings and gave up two runs and four hits.
Wood launched a first-pitch home run with one out in the fourth inning — his first in postseason play — for a 5-2 Cubs lead.
NOTES: Friday’s 1-0 loss to the Cubs was the Giants’ first postseason setback by that score since Game 6 of the 1987 NLCS in St. Louis. … San Francisco has won 11 consecutive postseason series. … Giants RHP Madison Bumgarner (15-9, 2.74 ERA in 2016, 1-0, 0.00 ERA postseason) and Cubs RHP Jake Arrieta (18-8, 3.10 ERA) are scheduled to pitch in Game 3 on Monday as the NLDS shifts to AT&T Park in San Francisco. … Bumgarner and RHP Johnny Cueto this week became the first Giants to throw back-to-back complete games in the postseason since Carl Hubbell and Hal Schumacher in the 1933 World Series. … With a major league-most 103 regular season wins in 2016, the Cubs eclipsed the century mark for the sixth time in franchise history and first since 1935 (100-54). … Chicago RHP John Lackey (11-8, 3.35 ERA) starts Tuesday — if necessary — against Giants LHP Matt Moore (12-12, 4.08 ERA). Lackey has the most postseason starts (20) among active big league pitchers.
