Short night for Chicago Cubs' Chatwood
Tyler Chatwood had both an interesting start to his game Tuesday night and an interesting final line.
Of the first 11 St. Louis Cardinals batters who faced the Chicago Cubs' right-hander, only one put the ball into play: Marcell Ozuna with a first-inning flyout.
Of the other 10, Chatwood walked five and struck out five. It was a short night for Chatwood, who lasted only 4⅔ innings as the Cubs fell 5-3.
He gave up just 1 hit while walking seven and striking out seven and throwing 97 pitches, 50 for strikes. In his first 3 starts this year, Chatwood is 0-3 with a 4.60 ERA with 14 walks in 15⅔ innings. He became the first Cubs pitcher with at least 7 walks and 7 strikeouts in a game since Kerry Wood on July 13, 2001, against the White Sox.
"I've just got to be better with my command," he said. "That's the biggest thing. I feel like that's hurt me so far. I've just got to get better with it."
The Cardinals (10-7) took advantage Chatwood's wildness in the third, when Dexter Fowler and Tommy Pham opened with walks and came around to score, Fowler on a double by Matt Carpenter and Pham on a groundout by Marcell Ozuna.
The Cubs (7-8) got a run back against Adam Wainwright in the fourth on Jason Heyward's RBI single.
Paul DeJong, a graduate of Antioch High School, gave the Cardinals a 3-1 in the eighth with a two-out homer to left field against Pedro Strop. St. Louis scored 2 more in the inning to make it 5-1 before Javier Baez hit a 2-run homer in the bottom half.
Rizzo's back:
First baseman Anthony Rizzo returned to the active roster and starting lineup after being on the disabled list with lower-back tightness. The Cubs optioned first baseman Efren Navarro to Class AAA Iowa.
Rizzo had been on the DL since April 10, retroactive to April 6. He went 0-for-3 Tuesday and is 3-for-31 (.097) for the season.
"I feel great; I feel really good," he said afterward. "Fortunately, it wasn't too windy out there. It was chilly, but just play through it. I saw the ball well tonight. Back felt great. Not sore at all. Hopefully it stays that way."
Zobrist a late scratch:
Ben Zobrist was a late lineup scratch because of lower-back tightness. He was slated to lead off and play right field, with Jason Heyward playing center. Ian Happ replaced Zobrist, leading off and playing center with Heyward moving to right.
Honoring Jackie Robinson:
The Cubs will honor the legacy of Jackie Robinson on Monday, May 14, the makeup of Sunday's game against the Atlanta Braves. Sunday was Jackie Robinson Day around Major League Baseball, as teams honored Robinson for breaking the modern-day color line. Players will wear Robinson's uniform No. 42.