Game One Hundred Fifty-Seven – Cubs 0 Pirates 4
WP – Charlie Morton (5-9) LP – Ted Lilly (12-9) Save – None
The Pirates beat the Cubs for only the third time this season behind the first complete game shutout of Charlie Morton’s career. The Cubs’ offense managed only four hits in nine innings against the young right-hander. Ryan Theriot recorded three of the Cubs’ four hits and two of those did not leave the infield. The Cubs were extremely aggressive against Morton. They walked only three times and Morton hit a pair of batters. The Cubs put two runners on base only twice in game one of the day-night double header.
The Cubs offense allowed Charlie Morton to have a career day. They simply did not make him work. Morton threw just 119 pitches and beat the Cubs for the first time in his career.
Ted Lilly made his first start since September 12. Lilly was incredibly rusty in the first inning and uncharacteristically walked two batters in the opening inning … Lilly had walked 10 batters all year at Wrigley Field before Wednesday afternoon.
The Pirates scored all four of their runs in the first after Lastings Milledge took out Ryan Theriot on a good hard baseball slide at second base to break up an inning ending double play. Milledge up ended Theriot with a slide that was very close to being interference. The call was correct, the Cubs took exception and the Pirates scored three more runs before Ted Lilly was able to settle down.
Lilly ended up allowing four runs, all earned, on five hits in seven innings with two walks and eight strikeouts.
Wednesday afternoon was Ted Lilly’s final start of the year. ‘The Bulldog‘ ended up with a 12-9 record with five of those losses coming in games the Cubs were shutout. The Chicago Cubs, or ‘Iowa Cubs‘, did not take enough time to figure out Charlie Morton on Wednesday. Ryan Theriot was all of their offense and the fourth hit came off the bat of Kosuke Fukudome in the eighth.
Ted Lilly could not find the strike zone in the first inning. Lilly walked Andrew McCutchen to start the game. After retiring Andy LaRoche on a pop out to second, Lilly walked Garrett Jones.
With runners on first and second with one out, Lastings Milledge singled to right center. Andrew McCutchen misread the ball and had to hold at third. With the bases loaded and one out, Steve Pearce hit a tailor made double play ball to second. Jeff Baker flipped the ball to Theriot but Milledge hooked Theriot and took him out.
Theriot ended up on his stomach, McCutchen scored and Milledge had issues with the Cubs’ complaint on the borderline slide to break up the double play.
With runners on first and third with one out, Jason Jaramillo doubled to left. Jones and Pearce scored … 3-0 Pirates. Jaramillo ended up at third on a throwing error by Jake Fox. Brian Bixler followed with a single to left that plated Jaramillo with the Pirates fourth and final run of the game.
Ted Lilly allowed two more hits over the final six innings of his season.
5 …
Carlos Zambrano will face Jeff Karstens in Game Two of the day-night doubleheader.