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 The Giants might protest to get the game restarted.
A surprise storm that hit in the fifth inning Tuesday night and
difficulty by the grounds crews to fully cover portions of the
infield created soggy and dangerous conditions.
The umpires finally called the game after 4 1/2 innings and a
4-hour, 34-minute delay.
"We did everything we could, we waited a long time," Cubs manager
Rick Renteria said. "There was a lot of moisture in there, and the
one thing everybody has to be cognizant of is that you don't want
any of those guys to get hurt, period."
Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo went 2-for-2 with a two-run home
run in the first inning that stood up as the game-winner.
An intense 15-minute downpour halfway through the fifth inning led
to the lengthy delay, and repeated attempts were made to restore the
field before the contest was finally called at 1:16 a.m. CT and
declared an official game.
"It's a long, frustrating night," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said,
who added that the Giants likely will protest the game to Major
League Baseball. "I don't know what other recourse we can take. It's
a tough night for everybody."
The Cubs' grounds crews had difficultly covering the left side of
the infield, leading to drenched dirt and more extensive work in an
unsuccessful attempt to make it playable.
"The field was in bad shape here. It wasn't quite playable," Bochy
said. "A 15-minute rain there and we couldn't get the tarp on in
time, and in this day and time, that's something should have been
done a little bit more."
Renteria and Bochy inspected conditions with umpires at 10:25 p.m.
They were back out an hour later checking out an improved infield
that apparently was still soggy in spots.
Little work was done over the next 90 minutes, and the infield tarp
remained open in right field while Bochy reappeared to check the
infield just before 1 a.m.
Umpires emerged at 1:10 a.m. to probe various infield spots and
finally called the game.
The Cubs (55-70) won their third consecutive game while the Giants
(65-59) saw a two-game winning streak snapped. San Francisco slipped
4 1/2 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the
National League West.
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Cubs left-handed starter Tsuyoshi Wada (3-1) worked five shutout innings
and allowed six hits and no walks while striking out three.
Giants right-handed starter Ryan Vogelsong (7-9) gave up two runs on
three hits in four innings. He walked two and struck out four.
Rizzo gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead in the first inning with a home run to
right than landed on Sheffield Avenue. Rizzo's team-leading 29th homer
came on a 2-0 pitch and drove in second baseman Javier Baez, who was on
base after a walk.
Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said he expects the field should be back
in playable condition for Wednesday night's second game of the
three-game series.
NOTES: Giants manager Bruce Bochy confirmed that C Hector Sanchez
sustained another concussion Saturday during a rehab assignment at
Triple-A Fresno and is out for the foreseeable future. ... San Francisco
OF Michael Morse saw his streak of recording a hit in seven consecutive
at-bats and reaching base in each of his last nine end when he struck
out to open the second inning. He finished 0-for-2 with two strikeouts.
... Giants RHP Jake Peavy (1-3, 3.86 ERA) will face Cubs RHP Edwin
Jackson (6-13, 5.74 ERA) Wednesday. ... Cubs SS Starlin Castro is one
homer away from matching his single-season career high. He hit his 13th
on Sunday against the New York Mets, a game-winning solo shot. ...
Sunday's 4-1 victory over the Mets was the fourth consecutive game in
which the Cubs allowed four hits. The Giants managed six hits against
Chicago on Tuesday. In the past 100 years, the Cubs have not allowed
four or fewer hits in five straight games.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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