“My dream come true”, Contreras said to reporters after the game.
Advertisement
Rizzo and Bryant each hit their 16th home run, and Ross made it 4-3 with a solo drive in the sixth that chased Jonathon Niese (6-4). Addison Russell hit a two-run shot in the seventh for the Cubs, who have eight homers in two games.
Josh Harrison’s solo home run was the lone blemish off Hendricks (5-6), who walked none and gave up seven hits.
Grandal took a 3-2 pitch for from reliever Tyler Thornburg (3-2) that missed high and outside. “It kind of got sped up on me in the first, I went to the stretch pretty quickly and tried to make pitches, some big leverage pitches”, he said. “I thinks today it was the changeup that was the answer”.
INDIANS 3, WHITE SOX 2 – Jose Ramirez’s two-out single with the bases loaded in the 10th inning scored Rajai Davis as the Cleveland Indians completed a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox with a win. Hendricks is 0-1 with a 6.63 ERA in four starts against the Pirates, all of which came last season. Unreal. I’m taking the best team in baseball.
Bottom Play (WPA): The Pirates refused to entirely go away in this one, and made a worrisome recovery once Hendricks surrendered the game to the bullpen with a 6-1 lead.
Contreras was called up Thursday, with catcher Tim Federowicz being designated for assignment. Rizzo also added a pair of RBI singles.
Taillon gets his first big-league start against someone other than the New York Mets, his opponent in each of his first two outings.
“We weren’t able to convert the opportunities, and when you’re facing an elite pitcher and you don’t get him and you don’t convert it usually doesn’t end up well”, manager Clint Hurdle said. The 26-year-old ran into trouble in the sixth inning Monday at Washington and allowed four runs (three earned) in 5 1/3 innings in a 4-1 loss. On the very first pitch, Contreras unloaded an 81 miles per hour changeup into the right-centerfield bleachers for a home run, obviously the first of his career. Fans cheered as if the rookie Contreras was a veteran fan favorite. “On every staff there’s one guy that never gets any runs, regardless of how well that he pitches”.
“That was amusing”, Contreras said.
The Cubs are 5-2 in their last 7 during game 3 of a series and 2-5 in Hendricks’ last 7 starts. Theo Epstein, president of baseball operations, said Kyle Schwarber remains on schedule in his rehab from season-ending surgery in his left knee, and he reiterated the slugger will not play again this season.
The Cubs’ official Twitter account provided the update after Fowler appeared to injure his hamstring while trying to beat out a throw to first base in the first inning. “It would not be good”, Maddon said. “I could tell we were going to score some runs”.
Advertisement
Pirates C Jacob Stallings, son of new University of Pittsburgh basketball coach Kevin Stallings, started and went 0 for 4 in his major league debut.
