|
 It's not like it's the first.
The Cubs were shut out in the final two games of their just
concluded series against the San Francisco Giants. It was their
second set of consecutive shutouts this season.
And as opposed to Tuesday, when the Cubs were totally baffled by
Giants right-hander Tim Hudson in a 4-0 defeat, Renteria thought his
guys came close to breaking through Wednesday against righty Tim
Lincecum and five San Francisco relievers.
How close? About five inches.
After a nice play by Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval denied the
Cubs a run off the bat of shortstop Starlin Castro in the first
inning, right fielder Nate Schierholtz appeared to put the visitors
up 2-0 with a liner down the right-field line.
But the ball missed kicking up chalk by less than half a foot,
typifying the Cubs' frustration on a day they were aided by five
walks. Schierholtz wound up popping up.
 -----------------------------------------------
MLB Team Report - Chicago Cubs - NOTES, QUOTES
RECORD: 19-32
STREAK: Lost two
NEXT: Friday -- Cubs (LHP Travis Wood, 5-4, 4.35 ERA) at Brewers
(RHP Marco Estrada, 4-2, 3.98 ERA)
PLAYER NOTES:
--LHP Travis Wood will be seeking a distinction only three Cubs have
achieved in the past two decades when he faces the Milwaukee Brewers
on the road Friday. Wood will be going after a fifth win in May,
something only RHP Kevin Foster (1997), RHP Carlos Silva (2010) and
LHP Sean Marshall (2010) have done since 1994. Wood has won his last
three starts, including one earlier on the Cubs' current 10-day road
trip (3-2 at San Diego last Saturday). Wood is 4-3 with a 3.68 ERA
in 10 career games (nine starts) against the Brewers.
--RHP Edwin Jackson wanted to throw a 100th pitch in Wednesday's 5-0
loss to the San Francisco Giants, but Cubs manager Rick Renteria
didn't think it was a good idea. So Renteria went to LHP James
Russell against red-hot Giants switch-hitter Pablo Sandoval,
flipping the third baseman to his least desirable right side of the
plate. The plan failed when Sandoval drilled a single that ended a
scoreless tie in the sixth inning and ignited a two-run uprising.
Renteria credited Jackson for keeping the Cubs in a game in which
they were being no-hit for 6 1/3 innings. He wound up credited with
two runs allowed after both baserunners inherited by the Cubs
bullpen came around to score.
--LHP James Russell got another chance to escape a jam created by a
Cubs starter Wednesday. And once again, he failed. The left-hander
was brought into a 0-0 game with one out and San Francisco Giants
baserunners on first and third. The Cubs needed a double play off
the bat of plodding Giants slugger Pablo Sandoval. Instead, Sandoval
singled in what proved to be the game-winning run. It marked the
seventh run Russell has allowed to score this year among the 14
baserunners he has inherited.
--C John Baker was probably the last guy the San Francisco Giants
would have expected to end their no-hit bid Wednesday. The backup
catcher had only five hits all season and brought a .125 batting
average to the plate against the third Giants pitcher, left-hander
Jeremy Affeldt, with one out in the seventh inning. Giants manager
Bruce Bochy was so unconcerned about Baker, he elected to stick with
Affeldt against the right-handed hitter even though he had a righty
warmed up in the bullpen. The decision turned out to bite the
Giants, as Baker lined a single to end the Cubs' 6 1/3 innings of
hitless ball.
--2B Emilio Bonifacio reached a personal milestone in Wednesday's
5-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants with his 150th career stolen
base. The steal was Bonifacio's 12th in 16 attempts this season.
He's now tied for fourth in the National League in steals.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We had him on the ropes. We got his pitch count up
to about 100 in five innings. We had some good at-bats. We actually
hit some balls well." -- Cubs manager Rick Renteria, who wasn't
surprised to see Giants RHP Tim Lincecum taken out after five
innings after throwing 96 pitches, only 52 of which were strikes.
 -----------------------------------------------
[to top of second column] |
MLB Team Report - Chicago Cubs - ROSTER REPORT
MEDICAL WATCH:
--LHP Zac Rosscup (sore left shoulder) went on the 15-day disabled
list May 14.
--RHP Pedro Strop (left groin strain) went on the 15-day disabled
list May 7.
--OF Ryan Sweeney (strained right hamstring) went on the 15-day
disabled list May 3.
--RHP Kyuji Fujikawa (Tommy John surgery in June 2013) went on the
15-day disabled list retroactive to March 21, and he was transferred
to the 60-day DL on May 3. The Cubs hope he can return to major
league action sometime during the summer.
--RHP James McDonald (right shoulder inflammation) went on the
60-day disabled list March 30. There is no timetable for his return.
ROTATION:
RHP Jeff Samardzija
LHP Travis Wood
RHP Edwin Jackson
RHP Jason Hammel
RHP Jake Arrieta
BULLPEN:
RHP Hector Rondon
RHP Jose Veras
LHP James Russell
LHP Wesley Wright (paternity leave)
RHP Justin Grimm
RHP Neil Ramirez
RHP Brian Schlitter
RHP Carlos Villanueva
RHP Blake Parker
CATCHERS:
Welington Castillo
John Baker
INFIELDERS:
1B Anthony Rizzo
2B Darwin Barney
SS Starlin Castro
3B Mike Olt
INF Luis Valbuena
OUTFIELDERS:
LF Junior Lake
CF Emilio Bonifacio
RF Nate Schierholtz
OF Justin Ruggiano
OF Chris Coghlan
=
-----------------------------------------------
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
