Bullpen gets nicked but doesn’t blink

CHICAGO» In Colorado’s 2-1 dramatic playoff win over Chicago on Tuesday night, Colorado’s bullpen was nearly perfect.

The Cubs did score the tying run in the eighth inning, but when it mattered most, the Rockies’ most reliable relievers didn’t blink, placing the Rockies in their first division series since 2009.

The first of multiple bullpen key moments came after starter Kyle Freeland owned his October debut with 6M shutout innings. With two outs and a runner on first base in the seventh inning, Rockies manager Bud Black lifted Freeland in favor of right-hander Adam Ottavino.

Ottavino proceeded to throw a wild pitch on his first offering, moving a runner to second. His initial lack of control was alarming, as a walk and a catcher’s interference call on Drew Butera — on a groundball out that would have ended the inning — loaded the bases for Chicago.

But in his postseason debut, with the game in the balance, Ottavino reached back for the hardest pitch he has thrown all season. The 97 mph heater fanned Jason Heyward to end the seventh inning, preserving a 1-0 Rockies’ lead. Bullpen checkpoint, passed. The eighth inning, however, was less fortunate for Ottavino. Black, who has shown unshakable belief in Ottavino all season, didn’t waiver from his faith in the right-hander, though Ottavino was struggling with his control.

That faith paid off through the first couple of batters in the eighth, which Ottavino set down quickly, but Chicago found life with a pair of two-out hits, the latter of which was an RBI double by Javier Baez that tied the game at 1-1.

Wade Davis then did his part in the clutch to prevent the Cubs from taking the lead. Davis — who led the National League with 43 saves — came on and fed Albert Almora a 2-2 curveball in the dirt to end the inning.

Consider that bullpen checkpoint partially passed.

The closer then worked around a one-out walk in the ninth to extend the game to extra innings. With Tuesday’s showing of 1L scoreless innings, Davis continued his groove down the stretch, as he’s given up just one earned run in 19L innings with 28 strikeouts since Aug. 12.

Another bullpen checkpoint passed.

The final steely performances came from Seunghwan Oh, Chris Rusin and Scott Oberg in extra innings, all of whom were clutch. Oh worked a 1-2-3 10th, and then the 11th with a flair for the dramatic, working around two baserunners. Then Rusin and Oberg combined for the final 2L innings to seal the win in the longest postseason game in Wrigley Field’s 104-year history.

Final bullpen checkpoint? Passed. A much-beleaguered unit came through with the pressure at its highest.