The Cubs have soared to the top of the major leagues with little help from Jason Heyward in his first season in Chicago. Crawford tagged out Rizzo in one of the most freaky double plays I’ve ever seen.
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Jake Arrieta was the tough luck loser for the Cubs on Saturday.
That said Miggy still can’t throw runners out, and Arrieta’s issues holding runners would be a much larger topic of discussion if he wasn’t on the same pitching staff as Jon Lester.
RAYS 8, BLUE JAYS 3 Alex Cobb went five solid innings during his first start in two years, Logan Morrison hit a go-ahead two-run homer, and Tampa Bay beat AL East-leading Toronto.
The Cubs hit Suarez for two runs in the third inning.
Madison Bumgarner facing Jake Arrieta had an October feel to it, and the Giants performed like they belong in the postseason. “Just because we’re going up against a team that, I don’t know if they have clinched yet, but they’re going to be there, so … and we’re planning on being there”. So it’s a playoff-type matchup.
No major league team was better than the San Francisco Giants at the All-Star break.
“That is the one play during the whole game I would want back”, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Crawford’s steal of third. He struck out seven, walked two and threw two wild pitches, including one that allowed a run to score.
Alex Cobb pitched well in his first major league game since undergoing Tommy John surgery a year ago, giving up two runs and four hits while fanning seven over five innings of Tampa Bay’s 8-3 rout of Toronto. The Cubs have won five straight to improve to 87-47. He slid headfirst to try to beat reliever Sergio Romo’s feet-first sliding tag of first base.The Giants saw their franchise-record 17-game errorless streak end in the bottom of the first when first baseman Brandon Belt dropped a popup on the mound.
“It’s pretty incredible”, Manager Joe Maddon. “I love the intensity and the passion of the game”.
Chicago also had an opportunity in the sixth, but Bumgarner struck out Matt Szczur for the third time with two on. Hunter Strickland entered and escaped the inning, but not before Bryant hit a line single up the middle on a 99.6 miles per hour fastball and Zobrist drew a walk to load the bases.
The Cubs entered with a 16 1/2-game lead in the NL Central thanks to a number of tremendous defensive plays in the past week.
The game was tied at 7 with two outs in the eighth when Enrique Burgos (1-2) hit Charlie Blackmon with a pitch to start Colorado’s rally.
Third baseman Tommy La Stella’s two-out throwing error in the first made it 1-0.
Before Pence’s home run, the Cubs had retired 40 of the last 41 Giants batters they faced. Zobrist was stranded at first base.NOTE: Cubs RF Jorge Soler (ingrown toenail) was a late scratch from the lineup but struck out as a pinch hitter in the fifth.
Jarred Cosart was chased in a five-run fifth and was charged with seven runs while giving up five hits, walking three and hitting a batter in 4-1/3 innings. The Cardinals led 2-0 in the sixth until Adam Duvall hit a sacrifice fly and Scott Schebler followed with an RBI single. Giants RHP Derek Law (elbow) has yet to start throwing since going on the disabled list August 28.
Cubs: Setup man Hector Rondon (triceps) threw a 22-pitch simulated game and felt good enough that his rehab stint at Triple-A Iowa was scrapped. He could be activated from the disabled list Monday.
“I think the big thing was they were aggressive”, Lester said.
Luke Maile hit a solo homer and Kevin Kiermaier had an RBI triple off Francisco Liriano before Brad Miller added a two-run shot against Ryan Tepera in a four-run seventh that made it 8-2. He went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Heyward’s single up the middle to hand Casilla his seventh blown save.
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The rookie Suarez, in his ninth start, allowed three hits with two walks and three strikeouts in five innings.
