Success with Gomes behind plate is eye-opening, but Cubs fall short vs. Padres
This was supposed to be "Win Day" for the Cubs.
It didn't matter who was on the mound, Yan Gomes was behind the plate.
Heading into Wednesday's action, the Cubs were 11-2 when Gomes starts and 2-7 with Tucker Barnhart at catcher; we're still waiting for Luis Torrens' first starting assignment.
The trend didn't hold during another frigid night at Wrigley Field on Wednesday. Starting pitcher Drew Smyly left with a 3-2 lead at the end of five, but the Cubs bullpen couldn't hang on and San Diego won 5-3.
"He picks up on little details," Smyly said of Gomes. "I don't want to give away our secrets, but we do fake a lot of shakes. He's just really good at mixing the ball in and out and knowing when to double-up or triple-up on a pitch or bounce around the zone."
Some of that winning percentage is due to offense. Gomes is hitting a career-best .305 after going 4-for-4 with a 2-run homer in Tuesday's victory over San Diego.
But also, Gomes has been doing the job behind the plate. According to baseball-reference.com, the Cubs' pitchers have posted a 2.87 ERA while throwing to Gomes, compared to 4.64 with Barnhart. For comparison, Willson Contreras' catching ERA with the Cubs last year was 3.96.
"I think what he does behind the plate and in the clubhouse and on a daily basis with our pitching staff is probably the No. 1 priority for him and us," manager David Ross said of Gomes. "What he does offensively is always a bonus."
It seems like Ross is aiming for about a 60-40 split with his catchers. This was the third time this season Gomes started on consecutive days. An afternoon start looms Thursday, so he almost certainly won't be in the lineup.
"My game plans are usually pretty easy, but Yan does an amazing job of mixing and matching to keep hitters a little bit in-between," Smyly said. "He's just a really good catcher. When he throws down a pitch, you trust him."
Gomes kept Wednesday's game alive by slicing a double into the corner off Josh Hader with two outs in the ninth. Nelson Velazquez walked after a long at-bat, but Nico Hoerner fouled out to the catcher on the first pitch he saw.
San Diego took the lead in the seventh when Ha-Seong Kim opened with a single against Adbert Alzolay. Left-hander Brandon Hughes came in and walked Trent Grisham, then after a sacrifice bunt, Fernando Tatis Jr. grounded a 2-run single through the left side. Tatis added another RBI single in the ninth to make it 5-3.
The wind was blowing straight in, but Trey Mancini avoided it by whistling a line drive to left field for his third home run of the season, tying the score 2-2 in the fourth. The Cubs then took the lead in the fifth when Patrick Wisdom led off with a walk and scored on Hoerner's two-out single.
"Sometimes the top of the order is going to be carrying us like is was early on," Ross said. "Trey (was) scuffling a little bit, give him a couple days off, give him a little breather down at the bottom of the lineup, then put him right back where he belongs."
Smyly retired 11 of the first 12 Padres, then found trouble quickly. With two outs in the fourth, he gave up singles to Xander Bogaerts and Nelson Cruz, followed by a 2-run triple to Jake Cronenworth. Smyly then had to endure a 13-pitch walk to Kim before retiring the side.
Smyly came back strong to retire the Padres in order in the fifth, finishing his day with 89 pitches, 4 strikeouts and 4 hits allowed.
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