Safe at home - again; Cubs take it 6 to 5 in 13 innings
Walk-off Week at Wrigley Field ended with a wild twist Saturday.
The Cubs didn't need to resort to their arsenal of bloop hits or cue-stick singles. No, all they had to do was wait for their onetime closer Kerry Wood to uncork a wild pitch.
Wood gave up 2 runs in the bottom of the 13th inning after the Indians had scored 1 in the top half to take the lead, and that enabled the Cubs to come back for a 6-5 win.
An RBI single by Andres Blanco tied it in te 13th, and with Jake Fox at the plate, Wood sailed a 1-1 pitch low and outside, allowing Blanco to run home.
Wood chose not to speak about his second blown save in two days in the Cleveland clubhouse.
The Cubs were more than happy to talk about their third walk-off win in three days and their fourth of the week.
"It was just a good sign to see us continue to grind it out," said starting pitcher Ted Lilly, who came out after 6 innings, prompting him to add that he felt as if he started the game Friday. "Just the way that we've been able to come back is such a big deal to our club and knowing that we can do that.
"And there's been some games where we've pushed it late and haven't (won), but I think we're starting to put some pressure on the bullpen, on the seventh- and eighth-inning guys for other clubs. They're good pitchers, and we're testing them every night out."
The Cleveland bullpen isn't very good, and Wood has been part of that during his homecoming weekend.
"We have to beat him, that's what it comes down to," Lilly said, empathizing only to a degree with his former teammate.
This one began with summer returning to Wrigley, with an 81-degree game-time temperature and a hitter-friendly breeze of 6 mph blowing out to right.
Cleveland hitters took advantage with a couple of doubles in the first and a homer by Luis Valbuena in the fifth. Valbuena homered off David Patton in the 13th to put the Indians ahead.
Red-hot Derrek Lee tied it in the fifth against Tomo Ohka with a 2-run homer to right-center, his 11th of the year. Lilly gave up a homer to Jhonny Peralta in the sixth but pinch hitter Micah Hoffpauir got Lilly off the hook and in line for a win when he hit a 2-run pinch homer in the home half.
That drove in Fukudome, who doubled for 1 of his 4 hits to start the inning.
"Lilly liked the move, by the way," said manager Lou Piniella, whose team is 33-31.
The ultra competitive Lilly concurred.
"I was kidding with him," Lilly said. "Before, I told him I was kind of getting locked in off of Ohka. He smiled, but he went ahead and went with Hoffpauir anyway, and it turned out to be the right decision. Hoffpauir's a little better hitter than I am."
Carlos Marmol blew a save in the seventh when he walked home a run, but both bullpens shut it down until Fukudome opened with a single off Wood in the 13th. Koyie Hill struck out but Fukudome stole second and moved to third on a throwing error by catcher Kelly Shoppach.
Blanco singled up the middle to tie it, and after Aaron Miles dropped a hit-and-run single to left, Wood got wild.
"Just another gritty, character-type win," Lee said. "It's getting exciting around here-I think if you look at good teams' records, they do well in the 1-run ballgames. Winning these close ones is huge, and I think it's going to pay dividends for us coming down the stretch."