Sloppy play, and Chicago Cubs let one get away
Sometimes baseball doesn't compute.
Take at look at the two pitching lines from Sunday's 5-3 victory by the Chicago White Sox over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Sox starter Lucas Giolito was all over the place early, and he wound up walking seven and uncorking 3 wild pitches.
Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks turned in a quality start, giving up 3 earned runs in 6 innings while walking none and striking out seven.
Giolito got the win. Hendricks took the loss.
"Just focusing on me, I felt like I threw better," said Hendricks, who fell to 3-3 with a 3.20 ERA. "It was better than my last start. The fastball command was better. Good changeup. So, yeah, it was a couple bad pitches today. That's just the nature of the game."
Simply put, the Cubs let one get away, and they did so with some sloppy play. On the bright side for them, they took five of six from a pair of last-place clubs, the Marlins and White Sox.
But they'll have to be more tidy than they were Sunday with the Braves coming up for four games - a makeup game Monday at Wrigley Field, then three in Atlanta.
Just as they did Friday and Saturday, the Cubs scored in the first inning Sunday. After getting 5 runs in the first Friday and 4 in the first Saturday, they scored twice against Giolito in the first Sunday to grab a 2-0 lead.
They also stole four bases and took advantage of a pair of wild pitches, getting their runs on a 2-run single by Javier Baez.
But the Cubs would manage only 2 more hits the rest of the way, and they ran themselves out of an inning in the fourth, getting 1 run to take a 3-2 lead when they could have scored more.
Kyle Schwarber and Addison Russell began with walks against Giolito. Ian Happ crushed a double to the gap in right-center. Schwarber scored, but Russell made it only to third.
Russell then was tagged out in a rundown when Hendricks chopped the ball to third baseman Matt Davidson. Happ did not advance to third, and Ben Zobrist ended the inning by grounding into a double play.
"Just a bad read," Russell admitted on getting thrown out. "Just overaggressive, just wanting to score. Hard-hit by Kyle. It's either you go one way or you go the other way. I chose the wrong way."
Manager Joe Maddon absolved Russell of any blame for not scoring on Happ's double, saying Russell had to be careful not to overrun Schwarber.
"Nobody out, he was held up by Schwarber in front of him," said Maddon whose team fell to 21-16. "Nobody out, they're not going to be as aggressive. In case the ball's caught, you want to be able to tag up and advance. I think that's what I saw."
Still the missed opportunities and the failure to put Giolito away were lamentable.
"It's always that way when you have opportunities and they slip," Maddon said. "You always are concerned about that. Absolutely I am."
The Sox got an unearned run in the third after Cubs catcher Willson Contreras tried to pick Adam Engel off first base but threw the ball into right field for a two-base error. A single by Yolmer Sanchez scored an unearned run.
The White Sox got 2 more runs off Hendricks in the sixth.
Now, the Cubs take a big step up in class against the Braves, the first-place team in the National League East.
"I like Atlanta a lot, I liked them when they were here (last month)," Maddon said. "You're going to see tough competition for the next four games. They have really good pitching, too. I like their starting pitching. I like some of the bullpen guys. They've got a nice club."
Scouting report
Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves Monday at Wrigley Field; Tuesday-Thursday at SunTrust Park
<h3 class="breakHead">TV: </h3>
WGN Monday, Wednesday-Thursday; NBC Sports Chicago Plus Tuesday
<h3 class="breakHead">Radio:</h3>
WSCR 670-AM
<h3 class="breakHead">Pitching matchups:</h3>
The Cubs' Jose Quintana (4-2) vs. Julio Teheran (3-1) Monday at 1:20 p.m.; Yu Darvish (0-3) vs. Mike Foltynewicz (3-2) Tuesday at 6:35 p.m.; Tyler Chatwood (3-3) vs. Brandon McCarthy (4-2) Wednesday at 6:35 p.m.; Jon Lester (3-1) vs. Mike Sorooka (1-1) Thursday at 6:35 p.m.
<h3 class="breakHead">At a glance:</h3>
The two teams split a pair of games at Wrigley Field last month. Monday is a makeup of an April 15 rainout. The Braves are one of the surprise teams in MLB this year. They are atop the NL East at 24-15. Ozzie Albies went into the day tied with Bryce Harper for the NL lead in home runs (12). Nick Markakis had a line of .346/.420/.549. Freddie Freeman was leading the Braves with 31 RBI and an on-base percentage of .431. As a team, the Braves entered Sunday leading the NL in batting average (. 270). The Cubs (21-16) were third in runs scored, second in OBP (.335) and in slugging percentage (. 438). The Cubs are in the midst of a busy stretch of 11 games in 10 days, including a doubleheader upcoming Saturday at Cincinnati.
<h3 class="breakHead">Next: </h3>
Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, Friday-Sunday
- Bruce Miles