Cubs' Bats Go Silent Once Again in Series Opener Loss to Miami
The Chicago Cubs have had a hard time figuring out how to score runs lately, and now they're down to just one more day to figure it out.
Chicago had just four hits on Wednesday, and lost 5-1 after the Marlins blew the game open in the seventh inning with a three-run homer by Corey Dickerson.
Kyle Schwarber walked twice for the Cubs but didn't score. He also flied out in the sixth inning before leaving the game for a defensive replacement in the top of the seventh.
The Cubs were leading 1-0 at that time, Starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks had been very good through six, but he seemed to run out of gas in the seventh, and it cost the Cubs in a big way.
Hendricks allowed singles to Miguel Rojas and Chad Wallach to start the seventh, and then Dickerson went the opposite way for the three-run homer.
“I’ve been feeling so strong at the end of games,” said Hendricks. “I made good pitches to Dickerson all day long. He just jumped on it. He was sitting on it, and he didn’t miss it.”
First-year Cubs manager David Ross, a former teammate with Hendricks, had confidence in his starter, but it just didn't work out.
“That was going to be his last batter, regardless,'' Ross said. "That’s a tough one, a tough pull. But, yeah, it stinks.”
Now the Cubs need to win two straight at Wrigley Field to win the series. Yu Darvish goes in Game 2, and he won five games following a Cubs loss during the 60-game season, so his teammates feel confident even as they face elimination Thursday.
“No panic,” Hendricks said. “We’ve got the guy we want on the mound.”
Ian Happ had two hits for the Cubs, including a homer in the fifth inning. All-Stars Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Jason Heyward each went 0-for-4.
Wednesday's American League Games
- Houston Astros 3, Minnesota Twins 1: The sixth-seeded Astros advanced with a 3-1 win in Game 1, continuing the Twins' postseason misery. Minnesota has now lost 18 consecutive playoff games, which has never happened before in any major professonal sport. The Astros' bullpen was terrific, pitching 4 2/3 scoreless innings and allowing only one hit. Houston will play the Oakland-Chicago winner in the divisional series.
- Oakland A's 5, Chicago White Sox 3: Oakland jumped on White Sox starter Dallas Kuechel early and then held on for a 5-3 win to even their series at 1-1. Chris Bassitt went seven innings for Oakland, allowing only one run and six hits.
- Tampa Bay Rays 8, Toronto Blue Jays 2: The top-seeded Rays closed out their series with a convincing 8-2 win over the Blue Jays. Mike Zunino hit a two-run homer and Hunter Renfroe added a grand slam in Tampa Bay's six-run second inning. Tyler Glasnow got the win, allowing only two runs in six innings, and the Rays bullpen allowed just one hit in the final three. Former Indiana star Aaron Slegers is on the Tampa Bay roster, but he did not pitch on Wednesday.
- New York Yankees 10, Cleveland Indians 9: The Yankees tied the game in the ninth inning with a sacrifice fly and then won it on a single by D.J. Lamahieu, sweeping the Indians to advance to the ALDS against Tampa Bay. The Yankees scored 22 runs in their first two playoff games, something they've never done before in their long playoff history.
Wednesday's National League Games
- Atlanta Braves 1, Cincinnati Reds 0, 13 innings: Atlanta won the longest scoreless playoff game in history, winning in the 13th inning on a single by Freddie Freeman. The Reds wasted a great start by Trevor Bauer, who allowed only two hits and had 12 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings. The Reds had plenty of chances to score, but left 13 men on base.
- Miami Marlins 5, Chicago Cubs 1: Corey Dickerson hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning to lead the Marlins to a comeback victory over the Cubs. Ian Happ homered for the Cubs in the fifth inning for their only run. It was Miami's first postseason victory since winning the World Series in 2003.
- St. Louis Cardinals 7, San Diego Padres 4: The Cardinals came into the playoffs with the worst offensive numbers of any of the 16 teams, but they hit hard from the get-go in beating the Padres in Game 1. The Cardinals had 13 hits, with four doubles as a team and a home run by Paul Goldschmidt in the first inning.
- Los Angeles Dodgers 4, Milwaukee Brewers 2: Corey Seager had a home run and Mookie Betts had two singles and an RBI as the Dodgers beat Milwaukee in Game 1. The Los Angeles bullpen pitched five scoreless innings, allowing only four hits.
Thursday's American League Game
- Chicago White Sox at Oakland A's, 3 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN): This is the only one of the four American League series to go to a deciding third game, and neither manager announced a starter, meaning it will be all hands on deck on the mound for both teams. Chicago hasn't won a playoff series since winning the World Series in 2005, and Oakland's win snapped a six-game playoff losing streak dating back to 2013. The guess is Dane Dunning for the White Sox against Mike Fiers for Oakland.
Thursday's National League Games
- Cincinnati Reds vs. Atlanta Braves, Noon ET (TV, ESPN): Luis Castillo takes on Atlanta's Ian Anderson in Game 2. Anderson, a rookie who was called up in midseason, was 3-2 with an impressive 1.95 ERA during the regular season. Both teams need more hitting. There was a combined 37 strikeouts in Game. 1
- Miami Marlins at Chicago Cubs, 2 p.m. ET (TV, ABC): Yu Darvish has been Chicago's best pitcher all season, and he gets the call to start Game 2 in a must-win game for the Cubs. Miami will roll out another impressive young arm, starting 22-year-old rookie Sixto Sanchez.
- St. Louis Cardinals at San Diego Padres, 7 p.m. ET (TV, ESPN): It's Adam Wainwright against Zach Davies in Game 2, and it's a must-win for the Padres, who had the best record in baseball among the non-division winners. Wainwright, a staple in the Cardinals' rotation since 2005, is starting his 15th playoff game.
- Milwaukee Brewers at Los Angeles Dodgers, 10 p.m. ET (TV, ESPN): Clayton Kershaw gets another shot at postseason redemption when he starts Game 2 for the Dodgers against Brandon Woodruff and the Brewers. Kershaw is just 9-11 in the playoffs, a huge discrepancy from his 175-76 mark during the regular season that includes three Cy Young awards.
Friday's National League Games
- Cincinnati Reds vs. Atlanta Braves, if necessary (TV, times: TBA)
- Miami Marlins at Chicago Cubs, if necessary (TV, times: TBA)
- St. Louis Cardinals at San Diego Padres, if necessary (TV, times: TBA)
- Milwaukee Brewers at Los Angeles Dodgers, if necessary (TV, times: TBA)
Tuesday's Results
- Houston Astros 4, Minnesota Twins 1: The Twins lost their 17th consecutive playoff game, a pro sports record, giving up three unearned runs in the ninth inning to Houston to drop Game 1. Jose Altuve walked with the bases loaded after a Jorge Polanco error to give Houston a 2-1 lead and then Michael Bradley tacked on a two-run single to seal the deal.
- Chicago White Sox 4, Oakland A's 1: Chicago starter Lucas Giolito took a perfect game into the seventh inning and the No. 7-seed White Sox hit three home runs to cruise past No. 2-seed Oakland in Game 1. It was a nice bounce-back win for Chicago, which had struggled down the stretch, losing seven of its final eight games. Jose Abreu had a two-run homer, and Adam Engel and Yasmani Grandal had solo shots.
- Tampa Bay Rays 3, Toronto Blue Jays 1: Blake Snell pitched no-hit ball through five innings and left in the sixth, allowing just one hit and striking out nine in Tampa Bay's victory. Tampa Bay center fielder Manuel Margot had a two-run homer and Peter Fairbanks got the save, his first of the year. The Rays won despite getting only four hits.
- New York Yankees 12, Cleveland Indians 3: Shane Bieber was the best pitcher in baseball all year long, but the Yankees didn't care, roughing him up in the blowout win. Bieber, who was 8-1 with a 1.63 ERA in the regular season, got touched up for seven runs in less than five inning. Gerrit Cole was great for the Yankees, striking out 13 in seven innings of work.