Happy Easter! We here at CSS hope you had a great day that was made even better by flying the W!
This afternoon’s rubber match game is actually a great example of why a pitcher’s win/loss record shouldn’t be as meaningful in today’s game as in years past. Tyler Chatwood made his season debut as a starter today, filling in for Jon Lester, who is still on the IL. He pitched his best game as a Cub but a blown save by fill-in closer, Pedro Strop, means Chatwood didnt get the W to show for his great work.
Chatwood walked the first batter he faced today, centerfielder Jarrod Dyson, on 4 pitches and made all of us watching wonder if anything had changed. However, Chatwood quickly got Flores to hit into a 5-4-3 double play and then retired Peralta to end the inning. After allowing a leadoff single in the second, Chatwood would go on to retire the next 10 batters. He gave up the second and final hit of his day in the 5th when Marte hit a one out single but then induced another groundball double play to end the inning. Being in the pen to start the season, Chatwood hadn’t been stretched out as a starter and thus was limited to 75-80 pitches. He made the most of those pitches, though, facing the minimum in 4 of his 6 innings. At the end of his day, he pitched 6 innings, giving up 2 hits and issuing just 2 walks while striking out 3 and not allowing a single run, earned or otherwise.
Robbie Ray had nearly as good a day as Chatwood, though if baseball games were 7 innings instead of 9, Chatwood would have gotten the win and Ray would have gotten the loss. Through the first 5 innings, it seemed that Rizzo, the only lefty in the Cubs lineup, would be the only Cub to get a hit off Ray. He singled in the first and then doubled to lead off the 4th, though both hits wouldnt amount to much. Then, in the bottom of the 6th, with Chatwood still the Cubs pitcher of record, Rizzo was hit by a pitch to keep the inning alive for Baez. Leading up this point, Baez had been 0-11 in the series and was due for a hit. He made up for lost time by hitting a go ahead rbi triple that plated Rizzo, gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead, and put Chatwood in line for the win.
With the Cubs up 1-0 coming into the 9th, Maddon called upon his fill in closer, Pedro Strop, who had been 3-3 in save opportunities this season. When Strop gave up a one out homer to leadoff hitter Dyson, the save chance was blown, Chatwood’s chance of getting the much deserved W was blown, and the game was now tied up at 1. Strop got the next two batters out but the damage was done and the pressure was on.
With the 4, 5, 6 hitters due up in the form of Baez, Contreras, and Bote, Diamondbacks manager, Torey Lovullo called upon Archie Bradley to keep the game tied and take it into extras. Javy Baez was having none of that. He lead off the bottom of the ninth with a well hit double that he was able to turn into a triple with the help of an error. Willson Contreras came up to the plate next and took a pitch to the elbow to put 2 on with nobody out for David Bote. Bote had a flight to catch as his wife is being induced (into labor) tonight and didn’t feel like missing his flight just to play extra immings. So when he saw 2-1 breaking ball that didnt break, he slapped it into right center for the walk off RBI single that drove in Baez for the win. When will these pitchers learn not to pitch to Bote when the game is on the line?! Hopefully, never! ?
