Cubs start preseason 2-0 after win against Giants |
The top of the first saw the Cubs go down 1, 2, 3, and while Almora and Rizzo both made solid contact on fly balls, Ian Happ (batting second) would resort back to last year’s habit of striking out.
In the bottom of the first, Tyler Chatwood would give up a leadoff single, but that would be erased on a double-play (Rizzo-Russell-Rizzo) with the following batter. It took Chatwood until the third batter to finally throw a ball outside the strike zone, but once he did, he got a little rocky again. Chatwood walked the number three man in the Giants’ order, then followed that up with a home run pitch to Brandon Belt, putting the Giants up 2-0. The top of the second would see the Cubs’ bats come alive, as the as they scored a total of eight runs after sending a total of thirteen men to the plate. There was a scary moment in the inning, as David Bote took a Madison Bumgarner pitch to the head. Bote was lifted immediately for Ryan Court. Madison Bumgarner would be chased from the game after the fifth unanswered run, leaving Sam Wolff to face the Cubs’ offense. Chatwood would settle down to start the bottom of the second, collecting a strikeout from the leadoff man, followed by a ground out. The third batter of the inning would again prove to be a curse for Chatwood, as he hit Rivera in the back with a pitch, but a diving catch in foul territory by Schwarber would get Chatwood and the Cubs out of the inning without allowing a run. After the Cubs went down in order in the top of the third, the Cubs would send Duncan Robinson to the mound to replace Chatwood, and Wynton Bernard would replace Almora in center. Bernard would give up a leadoff home run, followed by a walk, but that’s all SF would get, leaving the Cubs up 8-4 after three innings. Into the top of the fourth, Schwarber would draw a two-out walk but would be lifted for a pinch runner (Charcer Burks). The Cubs would end their part of the third when Brooks was gunned down trying to steal second with Russell at-bat. Robinson would retake the mound for the Cubs in the fourth, giving up a leadoff home run. After giving up back-to-back singles, Robinson took one off the leg, loading the bases with one out, and ending Robinson’s day. Ryan Kellogg would come on in relief, allowing an additional run on a sac-fly. Cubs-8; Giants-5. Moving to the fifth, Ryan Court would reach with one away on an infield single, followed by a Caratini grounder down the third base line. Jacob Hannemann would draw a two-out walk to load the bases, but the cubs failed to push anything across. Dillon Maples would take the mound for Chicago in the bottom of the fifth, retiring the Giants in order. The Cubs’ started to rally again with two outs in the top of the sixth, as Burkes and Adames reached on back to back singles, but failed to score again, as Ryan Court would ground out to end the inning. James Norwood would take the mound for the Cubs in the sixth, and after loading the bases with just one out, managed to pitch his way out of it without allowing a run. The Cubs had their work cut out for them in the seventh they faced Giants’ reliever, Melvin Adon, who was throwing consistently at 100 mph or better. Adon rung up Ian Rice on a heater, but Johnny Field would send Adon’s 100 mph delivery over the fence at 105 mph for the Cubs first homer of the day. The much anticipated Dakota Mekkes would take the mound in the seventh for the Cubs, and although he issued a one-out walk, he finished the inning clean while accruing a pair of strikeouts. After the Cubs failed to score again in the eighth, they sent Allen Webster to the mound for the bottom of the frame. Despite giving up a walk, Webster would also escape unharmed. The Cubs would fail to score again in the ninth, despite earning back-to-back walks, but the lead would hold up as Allen Webster would retire the Giants to end it. FINAL: Cubs-9; Giants-5. Cubs’ offense (Starters): Almora: 1 for 3, RBI; Happ: 0 for 3, strikeout; Rizzo: 1 for 2, RBI, strikeout, walk; Schwarber: 1 for 1, RBI, 2 walks; Russell: 1 for 1, sac-fly, RBI; Bote: 0 for 0 (hit by pitch in bottom of the first); Caratini: 2 for 3, RBI; Zagunis: 1 for 3, RBI, strikeout; Hannemann: 1 for 2, RBI, walk. Cubs’ offense (Subs): Ryan Court (3B): 1 for 3, RBI, Walk, Strikeout; Wynton Bernard (CF): 0 for 2; Trent Giambrone (2B): 1 for 2, strikeout; Jim Adduci (1B): 0 for 2, strikeout; Charcer Burks (LF): 1 for 2; Christhian Adames (SS): 2 for 3, strikeout; Ian Rice (C): 0 for 1, walk, strikeout; Johnny Field: 1 for 2, RBI, strikeout; Phillip Evans: 0 for 2, strikeout. TOTALS: 9 for 37 (.243), nine runs, six walks, ten strikeouts. Cubs pitching: Tyler Chatwood: 2.0 Innings, 2 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, one home run; Duncan Robinson: 1.1 innings, 5 hits, 3 earned runs, 1 walk, two home runs; Ryan Kellogg: 0.2 perfect innings; Dillon Maples: 1.0 innings, 2 strikeouts; James Norwood: 1.0 inning, 2 hits, 1 walk; Dakota Mekkes: 1.0 innings, 2 strikeouts, 1 walk; Allen Webster: 2.0 innings, 1 walk. TOTALS: 9 hits, five earned runs, 5 walks, five strikeouts, 3 HR. #Cubs 9, Giants 5:#Flythew#EverybodyIn #Ownitnow pic.twitter.com/bmgJTDMSzi
