Atlanta’s Fried becomes latest pitcher to shut down Cubs bats
This game was the repeat of a familiar scenario for the Cubs.
An opposing pitcher was on his game and Cubs hitters didn't accomplish much. On Wednesday, it was Atlanta's Max Fried, who threw a 3-hitter as the Cubs lost 9-2 at Wrigley Field.
The left-hander kept hitters off-balance by throwing his big-bending curveball for strikes, zipping a four-seam at 94 mph, then mixing in a slider and several other pitches. He issued no walks and got to a three-ball count just three times.
Fried was perfect through five innings before Ian Happ led off the sixth with a double. Happ ended up with 2 of the Cubs' 3 hits.
“He's got weapons, man,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of Fried. “He's got a bunch of weapons and you never feel like you've got something to sit on and there's very little in the middle of the plate. He pitched very well.”
For Cubs pitching, there was one shining moment in the ninth inning. Right-hander Porter Hodge took the mound for his major-league debut and all he did was strike out Ozzie Albies, Marcel Ozuna and Matt Olson on 10 pitches. He missed an immaculate inning by one pitch.
“I was just trying to do my job,” said Hodge, who used his fastball exclusively. “My heart was pounding, just trying to stay relaxed out there and did a good job with that.”
Luis Vazquez also made his debut. He didn't see any action in one inning at shortstop, then struck out leading off the ninth.
This was a strong outing for Cubs starter Justin Steele for six innings. He gave up a 2-run homer to Adam Duvall in the third, but otherwise was sharp.
Steele came back out for the seventh and that inning didn't go well. Orlando Arcia led off with a double off the wall and eventually scored on a Zack Short squeeze bunt. Jose Cuas came in from the bullpen and gave up back-to-back home runs to Ozuna and Olson, capping a 6-run inning. So Steele went from 2 earned runs through 6 innings to 5 earned runs in 6⅓.
“The linescore maybe doesn't look the way it should look,” Counsell said. “But he did well. He's out there for the seventh inning, which means you're having a good start.”
Steele has given up 6 home runs in his last three starts but said he thought five of those came against well-executed pitches.
“My velo's kind of been at an all-time high as far as I've been starting in the big leagues,” Steele said. “So that feels really good. I feel like I'm executing at a pretty high level at this point. Feel really good with where I'm at.”
Before the game Kyle Hendricks talked about his move to the bullpen. He was upbeat, while acknowledging he can't expect to stay in the rotation with a 10.57 ERA.
“I'm honestly excited for the opportunity and the challenge, in a way,” he said. “Just a big opportunity obviously to try to turn things around.
“We're in a win-now kind of mode. That's exactly where I want to be. I want to be part of a team that's winning. I just want to be doing my part to contribute to that winning.
Hendricks has yet to make an appearance from the bullpen this season. That could change Thursday afternoon, when rookie Ben Brown will start the series finale against Atlanta.
Alzolay update: Before the game, manager Craig Counsell gave an update on reliever Adbert Alzolay, who got a second doctor's opinion on a flexor strain in his right forearm. The plan is for Alzolay to rest for at least two weeks and then reevaluate. Counsell said this is essentially a recurrence of an injury Alzolay had last year.
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