Cubs make it a game after falling way behind early, but lose 8-5
About the time the lights went out Wednesday night at Wrigley Field, the sun may have been setting on Tom Gorzelanny's time in the Cubs' starting rotation.
Just as Gorzelanny was delivering ball four to the Dodgers' Blake DeWitt in the fourth inning, a power outage knocked the lights out at the ballpark, causing a delay of 18 minutes.
The Cubs said ComEd reported the delay was caused by an electrical fire in the 3800 block of North Racine Avenue, several blocks north and west of the ballpark.
Gorzelanny likely has been on borrowed time since the Cubs announced that opening-day starter Carlos Zambrano soon would return to the rotation.
No doubt Wednesday's performance in the Cubs' 8-5 loss didn't help Gorzelanny, who looks ticketed for the bullpen. He lasted 5 innings, giving up 7 hits and 7 runs, 5 of them earned as the Cubs' defense did him few favors.
Manager Lou Piniella said the Cubs wouldn't make a decision on the rotation until the weekend, but Gorzelanny didn't sound happy about the impending move.
There appears to be no other option, with Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly, Randy Wells and Carlos Silva all pitching well and better suited to start than relieve. Gorzelanny said the impending decision has not been playing on his mind.
"No, but you read it," he said. "I don't really know what the decision is to be made. It's not my decision. But I don't feel like I deserve the right to go to the pen. I feel like I've pitched well enough overall this year to be in the rotation. I feel that whatever they choose to do hopefully is (for) the right reason. Whatever they ask me to do, I'll do.
"Do I think I deserve to be put in the pen? No, I don't."
Gorzelanny fell behind 3-0 the first inning, and the Dodgers added 2 more in the second. The Cubs had their three-game winning streak snapped, as they fell to 22-24. They committed 3 errors to 2 for the Dodgers.
"This wasn't a very pretty game," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "We gave them some runs and also left a lot of people on. Gorzelanny was all over the place, too, behind the hitters, threw a lot of pitches. Wasn't sharp."
The Cubs tried to chip away all night, and they came within 7-5 in the seventh. Other than the game, the lights going out drew postgame reaction.
"How about that one?" Piniella said. "Something new. I had never seen that - here."
"That's kind of brutal," Gorzelanny said. "I was in the middle of a pitch, and the guy ends up walking. There's nothing you can really do about it."
Alfonso Soriano was in left field when the incident happened. "A little crazy," he said. "I don't expect that to happen in the stadium, but it's a little crazy night tonight."
<p class="factboxheadblack">Bruce Miles' game tracker </p>
<p class="News"><b>In a pinch:</b> Xavier Nady's pinch-hit homer in the sixth inning was his first pinch homer as a Cub and the third of his career. He did it twice with Pittsburgh in August 2007.</p>
<p class="News"><b>Double the pleasure:</b> Mike Fontenot hit doubles in the second and fifth innings. It was the second 2-double game of his career. The other came June 25, 2005, against Colorado. </p>
<p class="News"><b>Adding it up:</b> Cubs starter Tom Gorzelanny threw 110 pitches in 5-plus innings. Included was a 30-pitch first inning, a 24-pitch second and a 25-pitch fourth.</p>
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<li><a href="/story/?id=383858">Piniella still pondering lineup tweaks <span class="date">[5/26/10]</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/story/?id=383822">Lights out at Wrigley Field <span class="date">[5/26/10]</span></a></li>
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