Chicago Cubs' magic number stays at 1 after losing to Cardinals
ST. LOUIS — The champagne will have to stay on ice at least one more day before the Chicago Cubs can party at Busch Stadium.
Jake Arrieta, who pitched the Cubs to victory in the wild-card game two years ago in Pittsburgh, could not deliver against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.
Still not 100 percent coming off a hamstring injury, Arrieta lasted only 3 innings and 67 pitches as the Cubs rallied but fell short 8-7.
The Cardinals took an 8-3 lead into the eighth inning, but the Cubs rallied with 4 runs in the top half, with Jason Heyward hitting a 3-run homer and Ben Zobrist adding a solo shot.
With the loss, the Cubs (88-69) saw their magic number to clinch the National League Central hold at 1, as the second-place Milwaukee Brewers beat the Reds to stay in the chase.
John Lackey will try to clinch it Wednesday night as he takes on Michael Wacha shortly after 6 p.m.
Arrieta was making his second start since injuring his right hamstring during a Labor Day start at Pittsburgh. He gave up 3 runs (1 earned) in the first inning and 2 more in the second on a homer to Tommy Pham.
“I started out the first inning with a pretty extended pitch count,” said Arrieta (14-10), who threw 35 in the first.
Although he looked fine last week in Milwaukee, he was not nearly as sharp Tuesday.
“I'm doing OK,” he said. “I've had to adjust a couple things in my delivery. It's still there a little bit. But I'm fine. I'm plenty healthy enough to go out there and compete and pitch at a high level. I just wasn't able to do that tonight, unfortunately.
“I don't have the drive (with the leg) that I do at 100 percent, but still plenty enough to be effective.”
Manager Joe Maddon saw enough after 3 innings. “Things just weren't working, sharpness wise,” he said. “I didn't see anything overtly crisp, velocity or location or anything. It was not his night.”
Cubs batters struck out 15 times against St. Louis pitching, but Maddon said he liked the comeback.
The Cubs got a huge scare in the bottom of the fifth inning. Center fielder Albert Almora Jr., who had gone into the game in the top half as a pinch hitter, fell awkwardly into the wall while chasing a double by Paul DeJong.
Almora came out of the game with what the Cubs said was a right-shoulder bruise in the rotator-cuff area. X-rays were negative, but Almora was wearing a big ice pack in the clubhouse after the game.
“I was scared,” he said. “I really didn't move it. What you guys saw (at his locker) was probably the most I did for an hour. PJ (athletic trainer Mainville) was out there. He was like, ‘Hey, it's not out of place.' I didn't want to move it just in case I hurt it and felt something I didn't want to feel. I just wanted to make it as easy as possible. I had excruciating pain out there.
“I tried to cut (the ball) off before it hit the wall. When I went to slide, I noticed I wasn't going to get to it. And when I looked up, the wall was right on me. There was no slowing down. Luckily nothing's broken. Nothing's damaged.”