D'backs power past Cubs, take 2-0 series lead
PHOENIX -- After being accused of pulling his ace pitcher too soon Wednesday night, don't be surprised if Cubs manager Lou Piniella hears about it today for sticking too long with No. 2 starter Ted Lilly.
Lefty Lilly struggled with his stuff over the first 2 innings Thursday night in Game 2 of the National League division series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
It all caught up with Lilly in the bottom of the second, when the D'backs scored 4 runs to erase a 2-0 deficit.
They chased Lilly in the fourth, when they scored 2 more on the way to an 8-4 victory and a commanding 2-0 lead in this best-of-five series.
The scene shifts to Wrigley Field on Saturday, where the Cubs will try to stay alive with left-hander Rich Hill taking the mound at 5 p.m. against veteran right-hander Livan Hernandez.
Lilly, who was coming off a 2-inning tune-up in Cincinnati on Sunday, struggled from the get-go. He lasted just 3 1/3 innings, giving up 7 hits and 6 runs.
"I think I was overthrowing a little bit, and the effect of that was continuing to be up in the zone," Lilly said. "I certainly want to get another opportunity to try and redeem myself and help us.
"Tonight, I didn't do us much good in a big game. You look at our season, and I could care less how many games I won. It's a matter of what you did in the postseason.
"This is not going to be easy to swallow, but I'm going to continue to work the next few days and prepare for Tuesday."
That would be a Game 5 start back at Chase Field, but that possibility is looking dim at best now.
A 3-run homer by Chris Young and an RBI triple by Eric Byrnes keyed the second, when the D'backs sent eight men to the plate. The Cubs had grabbed the lead in the top of the inning on a 2-run homer by rookie catcher Geovany Soto, making his second start in the NLDS.
A 2-run triple by Stephen Drew in the fourth finally did Lilly in.
"He was behind a lot of the hitters, wasn't getting the stuff open," Piniella said. "He was fighting himself a little bit out there, too. He wasn't sharp."
Lilly walked two batters in the first inning but worked out of trouble, but only after throwing 25 pitches.
The Cubs took their short-lived lead quickly in the second. Matt Murton opened with an infield single, and Soto crushed a pitch from lefty Doug Davis over the wall in left.
Things only got worse and more tedious for Lilly in the home half of the second. Chris Snyder led off with a single and moved up when Lilly walked Justin Upton.
Lilly looked to be out of trouble after striking out Augie Ojeda and settling for a sacrifice bunt out of Davis.
But Young, who hit a pair of homers off Jason Marquis in a game here in August, got hold of one and took it out to left against Lilly. The frustration got to Lilly at that point as he took his glove and slammed it to the ground.
"I was upset with myself for not executing the pitch," he said. "I still believe that if I locate that ball, I get a good result."
Drew singled, and Byrnes tripled to left-center, making it 4-2 Arizona.
The beginning of the end for Lilly came when former Cub Ojeda opened the fourth with a bunt single, eluding a tag attempt by first baseman Derrek Lee. Piniella argued briefly, to no avail, that Ojeda ran out of the baseline to avoid Lee's tag.
Davis struck out, but Lilly issued his fourth and final walk of the night, to Young. Drew tripled to the corner in right field, chasing Lilly for rookie Kevin Hart.
The Cubs managed a total of 8 hits, 5 off Davis.
"They've got a nice pitching staff over there," Piniella said. "We played them this summer, and they pitched well against us, too. Let's see what happens in our home ballpark. We're going home, like I said, and we've got our home fans, and we'll go from there."