The Cubs’ playoff preview against Jeff Samardzija turned out to be just a trailer. He pitched before a charged crowd at Wrigley Field, and his team lost.
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Samardzija lasted just four innings in his first start as a visitor at the famed ballpark and the bullpen gave away the lead in the seventh, with Addison Russell hitting a two-run single to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 5-4 victory over San Francisco on Thursday night.
Braves 9, Padres 6: Freddie Freeman homered, and Atlanta broke it open with a five-run fifth inning, beating to complete its first three-game sweep at Turner Field this season. On the other side, the under is 5-2-1 in the Giants’ last eight games overall and 7-3-1 in their last 11 road games. The Cubs and Nationals are also the two favorites on the odds to win the World Series at +300 (bet $100 to win $300) and +550, respectively, at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.
It coincided with a Major League Baseball initiative that had players and umpires wearing gold sweatbands to raise awareness for childhood cancer.
The Cubs’ 22-6 August record and.786 winning percentage was the best in a month with 20 decisions since July 1945 when Chicago was 26-6 (.813) and went on to the World Series.
Fowler had two hits and scored two runs. Bryant added an RBI single to extend his hitting streak to 14 games, matching a career high. Plus, he made a dashing, diving catch in center field with the bases loaded and two outs – that made up for him later dropping a routine fly for an error. He allowed three hits with two walks and three strikeouts in five innings, settling down after his 34-pitch third. But Russell then drove in Fowler and Bryant with a bloop single to left. “It’ll be an interesting day, no question”, Maddon said.
When things are going good, you find the bloopers and the holes, Pence said. “At the same time as a pitcher, you can only do so much”.
Russell’s hit made a victor of Joe Smith (2-4), who worked two innings after returning from a strained left hamstring.
New acquisition Joe Smith stymied the Giants in the seventh and eighth, and with Aroldis Chapman unavailable because of heavy use, Carl Edwards Jr. recorded a 1-2-3 ninth to record the save.
Samardzija inherited a 2-0 lead but the Cubs were more of an annoyance than woodpeckers behind schedule, starting with leadoff man Dexter Fowler and a 13-pitch walk. Honestly, Russell couldn’t have envisioned his career going any better than it has since Theo Epstein’s front office pulled off that blockbuster Fourth of July trade with the Oakland A’s in 2014.
Hunter Pence hit a two-run home run in the first inning and the Giants led 4-3 after taking advantage of some wild pitching and erratic defense. RHP Matt Cain (back) was activated off the disabled list and became the 12th reliever thanks to expanded rosters.
“[Fowler] set the tone”, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. RHP Albert Suarez will start Friday.
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Cubs: RHP John Lackey (shoulder) came out fine after a bullpen session and will start Sunday’s series finale. They look to bounce back against Jon Lester, whom they sent to the showers early on May 21 in San Francisco by tagging him for five runs in 2 2/3 innings in one of his shortest stints of the year.
