Burrell's steady bat lifts Giants past Cubs 5-4
Mike Fontenot switched clubhouses before the game in a trade that netted the Cubs a speedy Class A outfielder.
Welington Castillo enjoyed a debut that ought to encourage Cubs fans to learn to spell the 23-year-old catcher's first name correctly.
And, though they were several hundred miles apart, both Aramis Ramirez and John Grabow dealt with injuries that affected their availability.
If nothing else, give the Cubs credit for producing a potpourri of blurbs to give fans an excuse to focus on things other than the game at AT&T Park.
Pat Burrell led off the eighth inning with a solo homer off Justin Berg and the Giants held on for a 5-4 victory. Burrell's sacrifice fly Monday had given the Giants a 4-3 win in 11 innings.
San Francisco punched 4 singles and drew 1 walk to produce 3 first-inning runs off Cubs starter Tom Gorzelanny Wednesday night. The Cubs rallied to pull into a 4-4 tie on Tyler Colvin's solo homer in the seventh.
The day's adventures began with Fontenot, the 30-year-old utility infielder, moving his gear from the first-base dugout over to the third-base side.
"I'm going to be sad," Fontenot told reporters before the game. "I've got a lot of friends over here. I've been here for awhile and, you know, learned some great things. Had some good times here. It's going to be different, but I'm excited for the change."
The Cubs received slender St. Louis native Evan Crawford in the deal. The 2009 ninth-round pick, who bats and throws from the right side, posted a .319 on-base average and .366 slugging percentage with 24 steals in 109 games for Class A Augusta.
"Our scouts really like him," Cubs assistant GM Randy Bush told the Daily Herald. "He's a speed guy out of Indiana University. He has that plus tool: speed. We feel he can move up through the system."
With Fontenot's departure creating space on the 25- and 40-man rosters, the Cubs called up Darwin Barney from Triple-A Iowa. Barney, 24, batted .300 with 11 steals for the I-Cubs.
"He's a guy we would have protected over the winter and put on the roster," Bush said. "This lets him get some major-league playing time and get his feet wet."
Castillo jumped into his major-league debut with both feet. In his first inning behind the plate, he both failed to launch a throw against his first base stealer (on a tough pitch to handle) and shifted nicely to block a pitch in the dirt to save a run.
Then, in his first plate appearance, Castillo lined a double to the wall in left. After Blake DeWitt was thrown out at the plate on the play to end the second, acting manager Alan Trammell went on the field to ensure Castillo received the ball.
Trammell also had to scratch Aramis Ramirez from the cleanup spot due to sore ribs.
He had nothing to do, however, with the Cubs' announcement that lefty reliever John Grabow is done for the year after tearing the MCL in his left knee while throwing in Arizona.
Grabow, who hadn't pitched for the Cubs since June 28, has a contract that calls for him to be paid $4.8 million in 2011.
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Lindsey Willhite's game tracer</b></p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Cubs vs. Giants</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Bueno Castillo: In his first big-league plate appearance, 23-year-old catcher Welington Castillo lined a double off San Francisco starter Barry Zito that bounded to the left-field wall.</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Byrd bomb: Bumped up to the cleanup spot when Aramis Ramirez had to be scratched due to sore ribs, Marlon Byrd crashed a solo shot in the fourth. It was his first homer in 44 PAs at AT&T Park.</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Colvin's Cove: Rookie Tyler Colvin came within inches of splashing a Barry Zito slider into McCovey's Cove in the seventh. His solo shot off the fence protecting the water made it 4-4.</p>