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 The second baseman homered off Boone Logan to give the Chicago
Cubs a 6-5 win in 12 innings over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday
after the Cubs had taken the lead in the 11th only to see the
Rockies tie the game.
Baez had hit one ball well but had gone hitless in his first five
at-bats with three strikeouts before walloping a first-pitch
fastball from Logan (2-2) to right-center for an opposite-field
homer -- and his first career hit.
"I faced him before (when Logan was on a minor-league rehab
assignment in late June), and he threw me all curveballs," Baez
said. "He's got a good curveball, so I wasn't sitting on the
curveball. Tried to hit a fastball, and he threw it for me the first
pitch."
Baez had a seven-pitch at-bat in the first before striking out. And
despite striking out three times, Cubs manager Rick Renteria said
Baez never looked anxious during his big league debut. Baez agreed
that was the case.
"I take it like a spring training game with a lot of fans," Baez
said. "I struck out three times, but I got the winning run, so
that's what's important to the team."
Carlos Villanueva, who pitched the 12th, earned his second save. He
gave up a one-out single to catcher Wilin Rosario but struck out
pinch hitter Michael McKenry and got second baseman DJ LeMahieu to
ground into a force play to end the 4-hour, 21-minute marathon.
It was the fifth game between the cellar-dwelling teams this season
and the third to go extra innings.
A shockingly bad seventh inning by the Rockies' bullpen enabled the
Cubs to score three runs, a rally that consisted of six walks, a
sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Chris Valaika and no hits. That gave
the Cubs a 4-3 lead.
Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado tied the game at 4-4 in the
bottom of the seventh with a two-out homer against Wesley Wright. It
was Arenado's 10th homer of the season and just the second in 78
at-bats by right-handed hitters off the left-handed Wright.
After the Cubs took a 5-4 lead in the 11th on a soft single by left
fielder Ryan Sweeney with the bases loaded, the Rockies rallied
against closer Hector Rondon (3-3), who blew his fourth save
opportunity in 19 chances. Right fielder Jason Pridie reached on an
infield single when Baez couldn't handle his hard short-hop
grounder. Left fielder Charlie Blackmon followed with a single, and,
with two outs, third baseman Charlie Culberson tied the game by
lining a single to right on a 3-2 pitch.
The Cubs had scored in the top of the 11th when shortstop Starlin
Castro led off with a double off the wall in left. With one out,
Adam Ottavino walked third baseman Luis Valbuena and catcher
Wellington Castro to load the bases. Rockies manager Walt Weiss
brought in left-hander Logan to pitch to left-handed-hitting
Sweeney, who flared a single just beyond the reach of second baseman
LeMahieu.
The loss was the fifth straight for the Rockies, their eighth in
nine games and 15th in their past 19. The Cubs have won six of their
past eight games, with four of those wins over the Rockies.
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Rockies starter Brett Anderson had to leave the game due to lower-back
spasms after throwing his first pitch in the fourth inning. He allowed
one single and got six ground ball outs while facing the minimum number
of batters in three innings. This was Anderson's fifth start since his
July 13 return after missing three months with a fractured left index
finger, and he had gone 1-0 with a 1.33 ERA in his three previous
outings.
Asked about Anderson's condition, Weiss said, "Not real good. His back
locked up, and he doesn't look too good right now."
Franklin Morales relieved Anderson, worked three innings and gave up a
sixth-inning homer to Wellington Castro that cut the Rockies lead to
3-1.
Morales took the mound with a 2-0 lead, thanks to right fielder Brandon
Barnes' two-run double in the second. Morales helped make it 3-0 in the
fifth with a sacrifice after LeMahieu drew a leadoff walk from Travis
Wood, who threw just 74 pitches in six innings before being lifted in
the seventh for pinch hitter Valaika. With two outs, LeMahieu scored on
shortstop Josh Rutledge's single up the middle.
The Rockies had runners on first and second with no outs in the bottom
of that inning. But Wood got a force out at third on Barnes' bunt and
after throwing a wild pitch, and struck out LeMahieu and pinch hitter
Corey Dickerson to end the inning.
"I felt like that game was lost in the sixth and seventh," Weiss said.
"In the sixth inning, we had an opportunity to add to our lead and
didn't do it and then obviously the seventh inning got sideways on us."
NOTES: The Cubs purchased the contract of 2B Javier Baez from Triple-A
Iowa. To make room on the active roster, RHP Blake Parker was optioned
to Iowa. The Cubs had 39 players on their 40-man roster, so they did not
have to make a move to clear space for Baez, who struck out on seven
pitches against LHP Brett Anderson in his first major league at-bat. ...
Rockies RF Michael Cuddyer (fractured left shoulder socket) will begin a
rehab assignment with rookie-level Grand Junction on Wednesday. He is
expected to get about 40 at-bats there and at Double-A Tulsa before
rejoining the Rockies. ... Colorado RHP Jordan Lyles (fractured left
hand) will be activated from the 60-day disabled list Wednesday to start
against the Cubs. It will be his first appearance since June 4, and it
will end the Rockies' major-league-record-tying string of 20 consecutive
games started by left-handed pitchers.
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