Mixed bag for Cubs in 4-2 loss to Pirates
There was a whole lot of important action going on Saturday night at Wrigley Field, and it all has a bearing on the second half of the season for the Chicago Cubs.
First the good news for the Cubs: Young players Ian Happ and Kyle Schwarber hit back-to-back opposite-field home runs in the fourth inning, temporarily giving the Cubs a 2-1 lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Schwarber, who earlier in the day did some hitting drills on the field, also had an opposite-field field single to left in the second and a walk in the seventh.
On the mound it was a different story in the Cubs' eventual 4-2 loss. One-time ace Jake Arrieta worked 5⅔ innings, giving up 6 hits and 4 runs (3 earned).
Arrieta threw 107 pitches, and he ran into big trouble in the sixth, when he gave up a double to Josh Bell, a 2-run homer to Gregory Polanco a single to Francisco Cervelli and an RBI double to Jordy Mercer.
“It started out a little shaky, not a really good feel,” Arrieta said. “I hit two guys, started off the game with a 3-0 count to (Adam) Frazier but was able to kind of lock it in and clean some things up for the most part until the sixth. I didn't do a good job of mixing pitches. I relied heavily on the sinker for the most part of the game.”
Command has been spotty for Arrieta all year, and he had a pair of 23-pitch innings against the Pirates.
Arrieta termed his first half “below average for me individually and honestly for the team, which is 43-44. So how will he spend the all-star break and look forward?
“I'm going to re-evaluate some things and really focus on what I need to get better at, especially for the team,” he said. “The individual numbers aren't great, but if my numbers are what they are and we win the games, I start, I'm still OK with that.”
As for the offense, manager Joe Maddon wants to see more consistency and more production with runners in scoring position.
Schwarber's struggles have been well documented, and he is just up from a trip to the minor leagues to iron out his swing. What he has going for him is that he is a bright young player who is willing to learn and make the adjustments. The home run Saturday was his 13th of the season.
“Today was a tough one,” he said. “We got to put it behind us. It's just baseball. That's just the best way to put it. It will do crazy things to you. I've seen my fair share of it with myself. You've just got to find a way to stay even-keeled and go out there and keep competing, know that good things are going to happen because we know what kind of team we have here. We have a really good team.”
Happ also hit his 13th. He came up in May and has impressed — and even surprised — Maddon with his play and feel for the game.
“He's a better baseball player than I had envisioned coming into this thing,” the manager said. “I thought he was more of a bat. I think that's how he was advertised coming up. But he's a really skillful player, and he does a lot of things well.”