Tough luck continues for Gorzelanny, Cubs
Tom Gorzelanny found little consolation in once again pitching well but coming out on the losing end.
Two runs in the first inning were enough to be fatal Tuesday night as Gorzelanny and the Cubs fell 3-1 to the Washington Nationals at cold and windy Wrigley Field.
Gorzelanny settled down as the 2 runs were all he gave up in 7 innings, but all he has to show for it is a record of 0-3 and an ERA of 2.45
"I got off to kind of a slow start in the first and was able to get out of it," he said. "I just tried to do my job. I felt like I did pretty well and did what I was supposed to do. It goes for anybody. You pitch well and good things can happen. But these things happen all the time, too.
"I just have to say that their guy pitched a little bit better, and that's why they won it."
The Nats' guy was veteran Livan Hernandez, who improved to 3-1 with an 0.87 ERA with 7 innings of 6-hit, 1-run ball. Hernandez is 11-6 against the Cubs in the regular season, and he stymied them in Game 3 of the 2007 division series while with the Diamondbacks.
"He never gives in," said Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee. "You know he's going to stay away from you. He's going to try to hit the corners. Two-0, 3-1, he's just not going to groove one down the middle. He changes speeds. He's a smart pitcher. When he's locating, he can be a little bit tough."
The Nationals made it tough on Gorzelanny in the first, as Nyjer Morgan tripled and came home on Ian Desmond's single. Cristian Guzman followed with another triple and it was 2-0 quickly.
Gorzelanny struck out Adam Dunn, got Josh Willingham on a short flyout and Ivan Rodriguez on a comebacker to strand Guzman on third.
"I guess I've been through it enough already," Gorzelanny said of pitching out of early trouble. "You can learn how to fight your way out, and that's what I had to do."
The Cubs put together one-out singles by Alfonso Soriano and Mike Fontenot and an RBI forceout by Geovany Soto to score their only run in the second.
They outhit the Nationals 7-6 but couldn't put anything together. The Washington defense robbed Lee three times - a lineout to third baseman Alberto Gonzalez in the first inning, a nice forceout started by Desmond at short in the third and a running catch to deep left by Willingham in the sixth.
"They made some good plays," Lee said. "You've got to hit the ball better. Find some holes."
The Cubs fell back under .500 (10-11) with the loss. The Nationals got an insurance run in the eighth after an error by Cubs reliever John Grabow.
"Gorzelanny did a nice job, gave up a couple of runs in the first inning and gave us a chance to win the ballgame," said manager Lou Piniella. "We just didn't do much offensively. We had a few chances and didn't do much with it."
<p class="factboxheadblack">Bruce Miles' game tracker</p>
<p class="News">Nationals 3, Cubs 1</p>
<p class="News"><b>Another good one:</b> The Cubs' run of good starting pitching continued as lefty Tom Gorzelanny recorded the team's 15th quality start and his second. Cubs starters have an ERA of 1.64 in those starts, and the team is 8-7. Gorzelanny gave up 5 hits and 2 runs in 7 innings.</p>
<p class="News"><b>Streak continues:</b> Shortstop Ryan Theriot extended his hitting streak to seven games with an eighth-inning single.</p>
<p class="News"><b>Streak ends:</b> Center fielder Marlon Byrd went 0-for-4 as his hitting streak ended at five games.</p>
<p class="News"><b>Error of his ways:</b> Reliever John Grabow committed his second error of the season, a throwing error in the eighth, and it led to an unearned run. </p>
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