Segura and Marlins walk-off Cubs |
MIAMI - Sometimes, you must tip your hat to an opposing pitcher for a job well done on the mound. That was precisely the case at Loan Depot Stadium in Miami on Friday, where the Chicago Cubs (14-11) and the Miami Marlins (14-13) were locked into a tightly contested pitchers duel from the first pitch.
On the mound for the Cubs was their ace Marcus Stroman who has been impressive this season. Through his first five starts, Stroman has allowed minimal damage, which is the main reason why his ERA was sitting at 2.17 at the start of the game. Stroman continued to go about his business as he battled through 6 1/3, allowing two runs on six hits. Another quality start for him, but the problem was that Marlins left-hander Jesus Lazardo was equally as good, if not better. To the Marlins credit, they have done a fantastic job when it comes to developing pitchers, and Luzardo is another one of those arms after he was acquired via a trade a few years ago. Going back to last season, Luzardo has started three times against the Cubs, posting a sub-3.00 ERA. His success against them continued as he matched Stroman with 6 1/3 innings of work, allowing two runs on five hits. Luzardo also struck out six while lowering his ERA to 3.48, as this became a battle of the bullpens later. This is the one area the Cubs could improve, and heading into the ninth innings were going smoothly. That was until Michael Rucker took over in the ninth and pitched his worst outing of the season. Not only did Rucker allow a leadoff single to start the inning, but he would hit two consecutive batters to load the bases. With the Cubs infield drawn in hopes of cutting down the runner at home, Jean Segura cashed in with his second RBI single of the night as the Marlins picked up the 3-2 win for their first walk-off victory of 2023. Records aside, this Marlins club has always been a tough matchup for the Cubs, and you can point to their 2020 playoff series loss as the tipping point. For whatever reason, the Marlins pitchers have been able to contain the Cubs hitters, which keeps them in most games. Both Luzardo and Stroman were on point early and were cruising along through the first two innings. Moving to the third, you had Nelson Velazquez, who received some excellent news before the game. With Cody Bellinger returning from the Paternity list, many expected that Velazquez would once again be optioned to Iowa. Instead, his torrid start in the handful of games he has played has gotten David Ross to notice, as Velazquez will remain with the club until further notice. With his addition, Luis Torrens was designated for an assignment, and it is still being determined what will happen to him from here. What better way to reward your manager for keeping you up than by hitting his third homer of the year in the third to put the Cubs in front 1-0? Nelson Velazquez - Chicago Cubs (3)
That was followed by Nico Hoerner extending his on-base streak to 23 straight games with a single, while a Dansby Swanson walk had the Cubs in business only to come away empty. Failing to add on during a situation like that is often costly, and the Marlins showed how costly it can be in the bottom half of the third. With Jesus Sanchez working a leadoff walk and then stealing a base, the Marlins were in business as the Nick Fortes single had runners on the corners. Fortunately, Stroman was able to limit the damage by getting Jon Berti to ground into a double play, but a run did score to tie things up 1-1. With neither team putting a runner on base the next two frames, it was in the sixth when the Cubs tried to retake the lead. What started with a walk from Swanson turned into a first and second situation as Ian Happ delivered a massive single. Nothing came from that as Luzardo got Seiya Suzuki to ground into an inning-ending double play. The same thing can be said for the Marlins in the bottom half of the sixth, with Jazz Chisholm reaching with a one-out single before swiping a pair and then getting doubled off of third when Garrett Cooper lined out to Swanson, who made a great play. Not to be outdone, the Cubs used the momentum from that double play to jump-start their seventh as Cody Bellinger legged out a one-out triple and chased Luzardo in the process. Eric Hosmer was announced as the pinch hitter shortly after and rolled a Huascar Brazoban pitch passed first for the go-ahead pinch-hit single. Like in the third, the Marlins were not going to let the Cubs hold their lead for long, with Luis Arraez picking up a leadoff walk. That was followed by a bloop single from Avisail Garcia to right to put runners on the corners while Segura kept the line moving for the game-tying RBI single. That was the end of the road for Stroman as he was removed from the game in favor of Mark Leiter Jr, who finished the seventh. Despite his excellent start to the season, Suzuki had a rough night and killed another rally in the eighth when he grounded into a second consecutive inning-ending double play. Following a scoreless eighth from Michael Fulmer, it was up to Rucker to lock things down in the ninth to send the game into extras. Allowing a leadoff single to Jorge Soler doesn't help, but neither do two straight-hit batters, as the Marlins had the bases loaded and no outs. Thrust into a tight spot with a good hitter at the plate, Rucker got the ground ball he needed, but Segura hit it too hard to be fielded as his RBI single lifted the Marlins to a 3-2 walk-off win. Jean Segura conecta el imparable para dejar en el terreno a los Chicago Cubs⚾️ pic.twitter.com/aM6ExzaP4G
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