Dansby's glove highlights stellar Cubs defense in Wild Card Series win

CHICAGO -- There was no most valuable player chosen in the best-of-three National League Wild Card Series between the Padres and Cubs, won by Chicago via a 3-1 series-deciding victory Thursday evening at Wrigley Field.

If there was one chosen, Padres manager Mike Shildt would have cast his vote for Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson. Not for anything the veteran did at the plate, but for his game-altering defense during wins in Game 1 and Game 3.

“Dansby played his tail off, man. He almost single-handedly beat us with his glove,” said Shildt after the Padres’ elimination. “One thing that we don't talk about as much anymore is your defense, and this time of year, your defense -- we play great defense, but Dansby Swanson absolutely beat us with his glove this series.”

“We have so many talented defenders and guys that can prevent runs being scored,” Swanson said. “We talk about it all the time. Winning baseball is a race to 27 outs. The quicker you can get there, obviously the more games that you're going to win.”

As Swanson astutely pointed out, he was certainly not alone in this area. He made plays to take away hits from Luis Arraez leading off the fourth inning and the sixth inning, grabbing a ground ball up the middle on that second play, bobbling it briefly but still nailing Arraez with a strong throw to first baseman Michael Busch.

But Nico Hoerner took away what could have been a run-scoring hit from Jose Iglesias with Xander Bogaerts on second and one out in the seventh, leaping to his left and snaring the ball at the top of his glove. Hoerner, who was the eighth-best defensive infielder this season with a +15 Outs Above Average and ranked second to Mauricio Dubón at second, heard his name chanted in unison by the frenzied crowd after his thievery.

“It was a little surprising. It felt amazing. Just a reminder of all the people that are there experiencing all this,” Hoerner said. “You get so focused in yourself and the game and the situation and this and that. That kind of took me back a little bit. It’s amazing to be here.”

“I get the best view in the world of what they get to do and what they do so well,” said Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong of the stellar middle infield. “They’re incredible. Best middle infield in baseball. Really special people, really special leaders. I think we all know that about Dansby, but Nico, man, I’m impressed by him more and more every day, the way that he affects each and every one of us in here.”

Crow-Armstrong, who broke out of his slump at the plate with three hits and an RBI, made a sliding catch in the first on a Manny Machado line drive having a 10 percent catch probability, making it a five-star grab. It was his 17th five-star catch of the season (with a 25 percent catch probability or lower), far and away leading outfielders.

Run prevention has been the bailiwick this season for the Cubs, who are the second-best fielding team in baseball by Stacast’s Fielding Run Value at +41 runs saved. They focus on piecing together 27 outs, which started Thursday with four scoreless innings from Jameson Taillon and ended with Andrew Kittredge recording the final two outs after Brad Keller allowed a Jackson Merrill home run and hit Ryan O’Hearn and Bryce Johnson on consecutive two-strike counts during his second inning of work in the ninth.

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Kittredge ended up as the Cubs’ biggest pickup at the Trade Deadline. He pitched in all three games against the Padres, including opening before Shota Imanaga in Wednesday’s setback.

“Sometimes in a game that's so statistically analyzed, just preventing -- less pitches for our guys, getting matchups for our guys, I think it makes our bullpen more successful,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “That's why teams are so connected.

“You need that stuff to make everybody affect each other. We played a great defensive game tonight, absolutely.”

Moving on to Milwaukee for the NL Division Series won’t change the Cubs. Their style of play makes them dangerous against anyone, at any point of the postseason, and could eventually earn Swanson a postseason MVP if his defense is close to the level it was against the Padres.

“Great plays in big moments,” Hoerner said of Swanson. “He’s a guy that’s caught the last out of the World Series before. He’s got a pulse that’s built for October. He’s led us for a long time.”

“Being able to just limit them in opportunities to score was huge for us,” Swanson said. “It ended up making a big difference.”