For much of this early season, two of Jed Hoyer’s key bullpen acquisitions had not done well. Phil Maton spent time on the injured list and didn’t throw well when he pitched. Jacob Webb had not had good outings most of the year to date.
Friday, both of them pitched well when the Cubs needed them most, combining for three scoreless innings and five strikeouts as the Cubs held on to defeat the Diamondbacks 6-5, their ninth straight win at Wrigley Field.
This one started out like it was going to be an
easy win. After Colin Rea allowed hits to the first two D-backs batters, he struck out the next two and got the third on a fly to right, and then the Cubs offense got to work. Nico Hoerner led off with a double and Moisés Ballesteros walked. Nico took third on a force play by Alex Bregman, and Ian Happ walked to load the bases.
After Seiya Suzuki struck out, Michael Busch’s two-run single gave the Cubs the lead [VIDEO].
Happ took third on that hit and Carson Kelly was the next batter. He popped a ball into short center, and… [VIDEO].
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen something like that. Those are two good fielders — Alek Thomas and Ildemaro Vargas. And yet, they just let Kelly’s ball drop untouched. Happ scored, and the Cubs needed every single run they got in this game.
The D-backs went out 1-2-3 in the second, and when Hoerner’s turn to bat came up in the bottom of the inning, Matt Shaw was sent up to bat instead. Here’s what apparently happened to Nico [VIDEO].
Here’s what the injury was said to be:
Here’s what Craig Counsell had to say after the game:
Fortunately, it doesn’t sound too serious, and that’s good news.
The D-backs got a run back in the third and the Cubs put another three-spot on the board in the fourth. Kelly led off with a single and Pete Crow-Armstrong followed with a single to center. When Kelly took off for third, PCA hustled his way to second [VIDEO].
Dansby Swanson singled, scoring Kelly [VIDEO].
PCA stopped at third on that hit, but soon he too scored, on this wild pitch by Zac Gallen [VIDEO].
Swanson took second on that wild pitch and two outs later scored on this double by Bregman [VIDEO].
So the Cubs had a five-run lead after four innings. Easy peasy, right?
Of course you know baseball doesn’t work like that. I was honestly surprised Counsell sent Rea out to begin the sixth inning, given that he’d thrown 94 pitches through five. He allowed a leadoff single and then struck out Nolan Arenado.
Here’s more on Rea’s outing [VIDEO].
That brought Ryan Rolison into the game. Rolison, as you know, had thrown pretty well so far as a Cub.
Not in this game, though. Rolison walked the first man he faced and that is never, ever good, especially when there’s a runner already on base.
Then Jorge Barrosa hit about the craziest double you will ever see [VIDEO].
It appeared Bregman thought the ball was going to roll foul, which it did not. What I didn’t understand is why he didn’t just pick the ball up and step on third base. That might have killed the D-backs inning right there. Instead, a run scored to make it 6-2 and the next hitter, Geraldo Perdomo, smashed a three-run homer into the basket in left and just like that, it’s a one-run game.
Rolison allowed another single and then struck out the next two D-backs to end the inning.
After that the bullpens for both teams slammed the door. The last 11 Cubs went down in order, one of them on this really nice play by Tim Tawa on a line drive by Bregman in the seventh [VIDEO].
That ball looked like an easy double, it was smacked hard and into the corner tailing away from the fielder. A tip o’ the cap to Tawa.
But the Cubs bullpen was just as stingy. Maton retired the side 1-2-3 in the seventh, two by strikeout, on only 11 pitches. That’s the guy the Cubs thought they were getting when they signed him. If he can keep this up that’s a huge boost to the pen.
Jacob Webb got the D-backs in order in the eighth and I was reasonably sure Counsell would call on Hoby Milner to close things out, as two left-handed hitters were due up. But Webb came out for the ninth and when the bullpen got up it was Corbin Martin warming up, not Milner.
Webb walked the leadoff hitter, Vargas, in the ninth. Maybe that was better than another hit, Vargas went 4-for-4. He’s having himself quite the year so far. But Webb settled down and struck out Corbin Carroll, got pinch-hitter Ketel Marte to hit into a force play, and then faced Gabriel Moreno.
Webb struck out Moreno to end the game [VIDEO].
This is what Counsell has preached all year — that the “next guy up” has to do his job, injuries or no, this team needs contributions from all 26 men on the roster. In getting solid outings from Maton and Webb, the Cubs might have finally gotten the bullpen to reach some equilibrium. Good stuff.
Here are some postgame remarks from Busch [VIDEO].
With the win, the Cubs moved to within half a game of the Reds for first place in the NL Central, pending the result of the Reds/Pirates game this evening. Meanwhile, the Cubs will go for the series win Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Shōta Imanaga will start for the Cubs and Ryne Nelson goes for the D-backs. Game time is again 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
