NLCS GAME 3 Dodgers 6, Cubs 0
Cubs' bats in deep slumber
Rearranged lineup no help
as North Siders left staring at 2-1 deficit after gem by Hill
And for the first time in an otherwise giddy season, the Cubs have approached the vicinity of must-win status.
That's because their offensive malaise spread from the middle of their lineup, leaving a less-than-sharp Arrieta with no margin for error Tuesday night in a 6-0 loss to the Dodgers in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series.
Their air of invincibility and resiliency must resurface soon after left-hander Rich Hill continued his renaissance with an array of offspeed pitches and arm angles that confused Cubs hitters for six innings of two-hit ball.
The Cubs haven't scored since Miguel Montero's grand slam and Dexter Fowler's solo shot in the eighth inning of Game 1. An adjustment of the lineup that included dropping Anthony Rizzo from third to fourth and moving up Javier Baez to fifth didn't help.
Making matters more difficult for the Cubs is that they failed to solve their second consecutive left-handed opposing starter, with rookie lefty Julio Urias scheduled to face them in Game 4 with the Dodgers up 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
The Cubs' frustration reached a zenith during a 30-pitch second inning in which Hill walked two of the first three batters. But then Addison Russell struck out on a 74-mph curve and Montero grounded to second.
Russell, who was lifted for pinch hitter Jason Heyward in the seventh, is 1-for-24 in the playoffs.
Third baseman Kris Bryant accounted for the Cubs' two lone hits in the first seven innings. Rizzo's miserable postseason continued, as he flied to right and struck out against Hill before reaching on a broken-bat infield single in the ninth.
Maddon was reluctant to move Baez up but had no other choice because of the lack of hitting in the middle of the order. Jorge Soler also was inserted in attempt to take advantage of his past success against left-handed pitchers.
In Maddon's perfect world, Soler would have helped the Cubs surge to an early lead, and then Heyward could have taken over in right field for defense.
But it never got to that point, thanks to the rally that fizzled in the second and Soler's decision to try to nail Andrew Toles trying to score from second on rookie sensation Corey Seager's single.
Soler, who collided with center fielder Fowler on a Josh Reddick fly in the second, sailed a throw to home plate that was off line and allowed Seager to take second.
That run snapped Arrieta's streak of 18 scoreless innings against the Dodgers.
Soler, who moved to left field this season after the signing of Heyward, managed to catch Adrian Gonzalez's liner in the fourth.
That was the last breather Arrieta experienced, as Reddick smacked a single off his glove. Then Cubs' inability to keep runners close during the 2015 playoffs resurfaced as Reddick stole second and third base.
That brought up Yasmani Grandal, who took an inside pitch that plate umpire Gary Cederstrom called a ball and surprised Arrieta and a few Cubs.
Grandal smacked the next pitch over the wall in right-center for a two-run homer that caused Dodger Stadium to shake. Grandal It also snapped a 2-for-20 slump.
Arrieta was knocked out after Justin Turner hit the first pitch in the sixth over the center-field fence, ending a performance in which he struck out five but allowed three of his four runs on two-out hits.
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