Darvish dominant as Cubs roll over Royals

[August 06, 2020]  Yu Darvish pitched seven strong innings as the Chicago Cubs defeated the host Kansas City Royals 6-1 on Wednesday night.

It was the Cubs' third straight victory over the Royals and their sixth straight overall. The Royals lost their sixth straight.

Darvish (2-1) allowed one run on five hits, with one walk and four strikeouts.

Kris Bubic (0-2) took the loss, giving up two runs on four hits, walking two and striking out six in six innings. He became just the second Royals starter to pitch at least six innings this season.

Bubic was sharp early. He got a flyout and two strikeouts, needing just nine pitches -- seven for strikes -- in the first. He ended up retiring the first nine batters he faced.

The Royals got on the board in the third, but they missed out on a bigger inning.

Maikel Franco led off with a double off the wall in left. Nicky Lopez singled to right, sending Franco to third. Whit Merrifield bounced one off Darvish's glove, but it went right to second baseman David Bote, who fielded the ball while stepping on second and then threw to first, turning the double play though Franco scored.

Bubic ran into trouble in the fourth.

Kris Bryant led off with a single, and Anthony Rizzo drew a walk. Javier Baez blooped a hit just into fair territory in right field, scoring Bryant.

Baez may have kept the Cubs from scoring more, as he watched the ball from home plate for a few seconds before taking off. Had Baez been running from the outset, he would have been at second. Rizzo then scored on a 6-4-3 double play, which allowed Bubic to escape further trouble.

Cubs starting pitcher Yu Darvish (11) pitches against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Given the lead, Darvish settled down. He retired 12 of the last 14 batters he faced.

The Cubs tacked on a pair of unearned runs in the eighth off Ian Kennedy.

With two outs, Bryant hit a ground ball to third, but Franco's throw was low and Ryan O'Hearn couldn't field it cleanly at first. Singles by Rizzo, Baez and Willson Contreras provided the insurance runs.

The Cubs added two more runs in the ninth.

--Field Level Media

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