PNC PARK
Pittsburgh, PA
April 23, 2015
The Cubs face the Pirates in the final game of their four game set. Today’s matchup heavily favors the Pirates as Garrett Cole faces Kyle Hendricks. The Pirates have had a good season in the early going, and with a win will salvage a split after two terrible showings stole one last night.
Dexter Fowler has been off to a slow start, but has begun to see the ball a little better, and draws a leadoff walk. Joe Maddon sends the runner and Starlin Castro goes with the pitch and puts this one into the right field corner for an RBI double and the Cubs get a quick run. Cole recovers nicely and the rally is stopped cold, but the home team comes to the plate down by a run.
Kyle Hendricks has been what one would expect so far, an innings eater who won’t necessarily win a game, but won’t lose you the game either. He starts out much like Cole and issues a one out walk to Gregory Polanco and a single by Andrew McCutchen puts runners on the corners.
Jung Ho Kang is hit by the third pitch of the at bat and loads the bases. Josh Harrison, who is subbing for the injured Neil Walker hits a fly to deep left field and Chris Coughlin has no play and the run scores to tie the game. The inning ends quickly afterwards still tied.
Neither team did much until the bottom of the fifth. That changed when Sterling Marte hits a booming fly ball off the wall in center field for a very loud double. He moved to third with two outs and McCutchen, who has been on a massive tear lately hits a single just past Kris Bryant at third for an RBI single to give the Pirates the lead. Hendricks gets out of the inning, but now trails by a run at the end of five.
Cole has pitched well, but has been surprisingly missing his spots, and the Cubs have waited him out all day. Even though they had only managed two hits through seven innings, they had drawn three walks and run the count to three balls several more times. Cole walks Fowler for the second time today to start the eighth inning and again was off on the hit and run. This time Castro pulls the pitch into the left field corner and Fowler scores just ahead of Harrison’s relay throw to tie the game at 2-2 with nobody out.
The Pirates bullpen begins to stir, but it won’t matter anymore. Anthony Rizzo, who has gone ice cold lately crushes the pitch into the hitting background in center for a two run bomb and the Cubs suddenly have the lead. Cole stays in the game and the inning comes to an end with the Cubs on top 4-2.
Justin Grimm comes in for Hendricks, who had been lifted for a pinch hitter and strikes out two of the three hitters he sees and as the Cubs did nothing in the top of the ninth a very nervous Joe Maddon sends in Hector Rondon to try for the save. For the first time all season Hector delivers a solid 1-2-3 inning and the Cubs hang on for a win. Coupled with the Phillies loss to the Marlins earlier in the day they have moved into second place behind the double tough Dodgers.
Around the horn:
The Braves beat the Mets in a tough one at Citi Field by a score of 8-5. Freddie Freeman went four for four.
The Rockies laid a pounding on the Padres in Denver today. Nolan Arenado and Carlos Gonzalez had 4 RBI each.
Speaking of the Dodgers they won 4-0 over the Giants in San Francisco today. It was a tale of two very different pitching results. Clayton Kershaw goes the distance for LA striking out 10, and Ryan Vogelsong of the Giants issuing a record 9 walks for the losing Giants.
The Red Sox pounded the Tampa Rays 12-4. Wade Miley struck out five straight hitters. Despite the lopsided win Brandon Guyer of the Rays went 4-5 with three doubles and scored all four runs for the losers.
