Murphy, Roark hand Cubs third straight setback
The Chicago Cubs were beaten by the long ball at Wrigley Field for the second straight game Friday, this time by an all-too familiar foe.
One day after Cubs pitchers yielded 5 home runs in a loss to Arizona, Washington second baseman Daniel Murphy hit 2 home runs off Kyle Hendricks and drove in three to lead the Nationals over the Cubs 4-2 in a possible playoff preview between National League division leaders.
With two away in the first inning, Murphy launched a 2-1 curveball from Hendricks into the right-center field bleachers for a 2-run home run, his 19th.
Murphy, who tormented the Cubs as a New York Met in the 2015 NLCS with home runs in each game of New York's four-game sweep, struck again in the sixth for his 20th home run. Ahead in the count 2-0, the left-hander got an 85-mph four-seam fastball on the outside half from Hendricks and sent it the opposite way for a solo shot to the left-field seats, giving the Nationals a 3-0 lead.
“It wasn't a terrible pitch,” Hendricks said of the first-inning curveball Murphy turned on. “It was maybe a little up. Then the other at-bat, I just fell behind. That was the problem. That pitch I was just trying to make him hit it the other way through the wind and he did. What are you going to do? Tip your hat. He's a great hitter, obviously.”
The Cubs didn't dent the scoreboard against Wilmington, Ill. native Tanner Roark (9-7) until the sixth inning. That's when Javy Baez sent a 2-1 slider to the bleachers in left center. The 2-run homer was his 15th of the season, setting a new career high. It was his fifth home run in 16 games since the All-Star break.
“The way they've been pitching to me they kind of threw me a lot of sliders over there when we went to Washington,” Baez said. “Understand my adjustment and make them throw the ball over the plate. I had two great (at-bats) before the home run and I kept my same plan. He threw a slider over the plate and I got to it pretty good.”
On the other hand, Baez expanded his strike zone in the ninth inning when he represented the tying run with no outs. After Jason Heyward led off with a sharp single to right field, Baez swung at and missed three high fastballs from Washington closer Sean Doolittle, who successfully closed his fifth game in as many opportunities since being acquired last month in a trade with Oakland.
“Obviously, I was trying to tie the game and my approach wasn't there,” Baez said. “He was lifting his leg. It was kind of hard to get the timing. That's why I was kind of big on my swing.”
The defeat dropped the Cubs to 1-3 on the homestand and marked the first time they have lost three straight since June 7-10. Cubs manager Joe Maddon didn't seem too worried.
“We got beat by two all-stars the last two days,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “(Thursday) it was Goldschmidt. (Friday) it was Murphy. I mean, that's the result. We got beat by the homer two days in a row.”