Cubs 5, Diamondbacks 1: Picking up where they left off

The Offense and Bullpen Fail to Support Bumgarner’s Good Outing

In what is known as “editorial privilege with extreme prejudice” we’ll begin tonight’s recap with the COTG, courtesy of GuruB :

Ok, my work is done here. Just kidding Jim !

Madison Bumgarner took the mound tonight for the first time since June 2nd. After spending 44 days on the IL with a shoulder injury it was a highlight to see him come back and pitch well. He didn’t have his best fastball, seldom topping 90. But he located well on both sides of the plate, and used his curveball and cutter liberally as usual and to great effect.

He gave up one unearned run in the 2nd. Javier Baez singled, and stole 2nd and advanced to 3rd on a throwing error by Bryan Holaday on the steal. Jake Marisnick scorched a sinking liner to left that David Peralta made a really nice sliding play on, but Baez was able to score on the sac fly.

In the 4th inning Anthony Rizzo tagged Bumgarner for a solo homer to right. It came on an 0-2 count off a cutter that was away, but not quite enough as Rizzo managed to reach out and pull the ball. It wasn’t a bad pitch and I wouldn’t even call it a mistake, despite being an 0-2 pitch.

That was all Madbum gave up. He went 6 innings, giving up just 2 runs, 1 earned, on 2 hits a walk, two hit batters and 6 strikeouts. But he was pulled after 6 with just 79 pitches thrown , as Steve Berthiaume reminded us at least a dozen times. To be fair, being his first game back and perhaps not fully stretched out, Torey Lovullo said last night that he would let Bumgarner go far enough to win a game, which he did, but clearly he was on a pitch count.

Meanwhile, Kyle Hendricks was just as good. He had to pitch out of trouble a few times, as he uncharacteristically walked three batters to go along with the 6 hits he allowed. But D-backs hitters were not able to do anything with it. They managed one run in the 3rd when Bryan Holaday singled and was bunted over to 2nd by Bumgarner. Rojas roped a double into the corner to drive in the D-backs lone run.

They had a golden opportunity in the 4th when they loaded the bases with one out on a Christian Walker double and walks to Peralta and Pavin Smith. But Nick Ahmed flew out to right and Holaday struck out to leave the runners stranded.

Rojas hit a one out double in the 5th, but Kole Calhoun and Eduardo Escobar managed only week contact, popping out and grounding out on a swinging bunt respectively.

And then came the bullpen in the 7th to put the game away for the D-backs. Matt Peacock relieved Bumgarner and gave up two homers and three runs in the 7th, giving the Cubs their final margin of 5-1.

The offense had one more chance to get back in the game in the 7th. With one out Andy Young pinch hit for Peacock and was hit by a pitch. After Rojas struck out for the 2nd out, Calhoun hit a shift beater single to left. It was a funny moment as he did not know where the ball was and was looking up and out to right before he finally realized he’d hit it to left. But with two on and two out, Eduardo Escobar was caught looking after an 8 pitch battle. And that was all she wrote. The D-backs went down 1-2-3- in the 9th

The offense was just 1 for 7 with RISP, and out homered 3-0.

The D-backs came into the game with 74 runs allowed in the 7th inning, the most in MLB. That number is now 77. The team with the second most is the Texas Rangers, with 54. They also lead the league with 82 runs allowed in the 8th inning, 20 more than the Phillies who’ve allowed 62 8th inning runs.

Fangraphs Box

WPA

Josh Rojas. +.140 (two doubles, an RBI) , Christian Walker +.077, (Double and a single) Madison +.074. 6 IP, 2 runs allowed

Matt Peacock -.236 (3 runs, 2 HR), Nick Ahmed -.168, (0-3, K, 4 LOB), Eduardo Escobar -.122 (0-4, 2K, 3 LOB)

Roll Call

14 commenters , 339 comments. Fun thread tonight. Well done from the faithful few.

Saturday night game, 5:10 P.M. tomorrow night.

See Y’all