Arcia the surprising hero that took down Cubs: ‘The No. 8 hitter is the most dangerous guy in the postseason'

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The Brewers' No. 8 hitter had more hits (4) than the entire Cubs lineup (3) in the one-game playoff to decide the National League Central Monday afternoon.

Let that sink in for a bit.

Joe Maddon didn't think this game came down to the bullpens, pointing to how the Brewers had 12 hits and his Cubs team managed only 3. 

It was Orlando Arcia that provided the spark for the Brewers, scoring the first run in the third inning and the winning run in the eighth inning. 

He came into the day hitting just .227 with a .559 OPS over the first 162 days of the 2018 regular season (including a September surge where he hit .288 with a .733 OPS that month).

Arcia led off the third inning with a single off Jose Quintana, was sacrificed to second base and scored a batter later on Christian Yelich's single.

In the eighth, Arcia singled to lead off the inning on an 0-2 pitch from Justin Wilson - a slider that caught way too much of the plate. He later scored on a Lorenzo Cain single to send the Brewers into the NLDS and the Cubs into a one-game, winner-take-all wild-card at Wrigley Field Tuesday night.

"We'd like to have one pitch back to Arcia - that kinda set the whole thing up," Maddon said.

Wilson started off by blowing a pair of fastballs by Arcia (clocked at 96 and 95 mph) and Maddon admitted he would've liked to see the Cubs southpaw go with another fastball there given that it's Wilson's bread-and-butter pitch.

Going into the game, Arcia may have been one of the last players anybody would've picked to be the difference-maker in the fight for the division, but the Cubs weren't surprised.

"We just made some pitches at the wrong time to him," Maddon said. "But to his credit, he took advantage of it. That's what happens at this time of year in playoffs - somebody that's maybe not been on the radar screen all the sudden pops and they do something really well."

Cole Hamels didn't pitch in Monday's game, but he was still able to lend his perspective to Arcia's big game. Hamels is in his 13th year in the big leagues and is in his eighth trip to the postseason.

"The No. 8 hitter is the most dangerous guy in the postseason," Hamels said. "You're so focused on those big guys - your 2-3-4-5 guys. Sometimes you can let your guard down on the No. 8 guy because you have the pitcher coming up.

"Those guys can surprise you and I've seen it numerous times. Those No. 8 hitters, they can definitely get the big home run or the big hit and it allows that pitcher to actually do his job [at the plate], which is to move him over and turn over that lineup. 

"He's been playing really well. You have to give him credit - four hits is very tough in this atmosphere against our guys. He's living a great moment today and hopefully we'll get the opportuinty to play against them again [in the NLDS]."

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