Cubs bats go quiet in extra-inning loss to Rizzo, Yankees
There was no shortage of news when the Cubs visited Yankee Stadium on Friday.
They faced Anthony Rizzo for the first time since he was traded to New York last July, former Yankee Clint Frazier was released before the game, Cubs starting pitcher Wade Miley departed after three innings due to left shoulder soreness.
On the field, there wasn't as much action. The Cubs outhit the Yankees 9-6, but lost 2-1 in 13 innings on a 2-out RBI single by pinch-hitter Jose Trevino against Alec Mills.
The two early runs came on solo home runs Jason Heyward and former Cubs farmhand Gleyber Torres. The Cubs bullpen did great work, particularly two scoreless innings by both Rowan Wick and Brandon Hughes.
But the Cubs went 0-for-18 with runners in scoring position and didn't managed just 1 infield single from the eighth inning to the end. The two teams combined were 1-for-37 with runners in scoring position.
Rizzo went 0-for-4 with a walk, hit by pitch and 2 strikeouts. He played against the Cubs once when he was with the Padres. In the final game of the 2011 regular season, he went 0-for-3 with a walk, ending his day with a strikeout vs. Andrew Cashner, the pitcher he would be traded for a few months later.
"It's just refreshing to see people in person rather than via text on the phone," Rizzo told reporters in the dugout before the game. "At the deadline when (the Cubs) made their moves, it was clear to see the direction they wanted to go in, temporarily.
"Coming here was an amazing opportunity last year to come to a team that was contending and winning. The atmosphere and the culture here is amazing."
Miley wasn't the only Cubs pitcher involved with an injury. Marcus Stroman went on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Manager David Ross said he's hopeful Stroman will be back on the mound when the 15 days are up, but starter Drew Smyly will likely take longer to recover.
It sounds like Matt Swarmer, Saturday's scheduled starter, will stay in the rotation as long as he keeps doing well.
The Cubs also activated catcher Yan Gomes (oblique strain) and infielder Jonathan Villar (mouth injury) from the injured list, and reinstated pitcher Chris Martin from the restricted list. First baseman Alfonso Rivas and pitcher Michael Rucker were sent to Iowa.
Frazier was the No. 5 overall draft pick by Cleveland in 2013, who was then traded to the Yankees for pitcher Andrew Miller in 2016. A few months later, Miller gave up the Ross home run in Game 7 of the World Series.
Frazier had a disappointing five years with the Yankees before signing a one-year deal with the Cubs this year. Earlier this week, Frazier told the Sun-Times how much he liked playing for the Cubs.
"I'm really enjoying the way that this clubhouse has maneuvered," he said. "It seems like there's a lot of guys in here that are just accepting of everyone. And it's been really good for me."
Needless to say, Frazier was not expecting to be designated for assignment. Realistically, though, the emergence of Christopher Morel, who has played mostly in center field, put the Cubs in a roster crunch. Someone had to go and the Cubs need left-handed bats like Heyward and Rafael Ortega.
They'll have to make another move soon when right fielder Seiya Suzuki is ready to return from a sprained finger. Ross said Frazier was upset and emotional during their meeting.
"He likes it here a lot," Ross said. "He believes in his baseball skills, which we do too. It's just one of those really tough decisions we have to make sometimes, which stinks."
Contreras avoids arbitration:
The Cubs came to an agreement with catcher Willson Contreras on a one-year deal worth $9.625 million Thursday, avoiding an arbitration hearing. He'll be a free agent after the season.
"I'm glad we made it work," Contreras told reporters before Friday's game. "I think both sides won and I'm really happy with how the negotiations went too."
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