Game Eight – Cubs (ss) 3 Brewers 12
WP – Doug Davis (1-0) LP – Jeff Samardzija (0-1) Save – None
The Cubs long weekend of exhibition games got off to a bad start on Friday afternoon. The Brewers lit up Jeff Samardzija in the first inning and Doug Davis continued his domination of a team in blue pinstripes.
Granted it is “just Spring Training” but the performance from Jeff Samardzija on Friday was very similar to his outings from a year ago. Samardzija gave up four runs, all earned despite an error by Starlin Castro in the first inning, on five hits in two innings. Samardzija walked a batter, struck out two and served up back-to-back jacks in the first to Jim Edmonds and Gregg Zaun.
Samardzija turned the game over to the pen in the third … and the pitchers Lou Piniella did not send to Las Vegas did not fair any better than ‘The Shark.’
John Grabow surrendered an unearned run in his inning of work, but one of the two hits he allowed was a double by Jim Edmonds. Marcos Mateo could not find the strike zone. He walked five batters in the fifth, uncorked a wild pitch and served up a two-run homer to Jody Gerut. Jeremy Papelbon, called in from minor league camp, allowed two of Mateo’s runners to score.
Rafael Dolis and James Russell closed the game. Dolis was solid in his first inning but struggled in his second and both runs he was charged with scored with James Russell on the mound.
The Cubs offense was non-existent. They managed nine hits, but scored only three runs and two of those came in the seventh inning. Tyler Colvin continued his hot spring and finished the game 2-for-3 with a triple, a run scored and a RBI. Aramis Ramirez doubled in the Cubs’ second run in the seventh.
With the loss, the Cubs slipped back to .500 in the Cactus League (4-4) … Rickie Weeks led off the game by ripping Jeff Samardzija’s first pitch into the corner in right for a double. Alcides Escobar followed and hit a grounder to Starlin Castro. Castro threw the ball away, Weeks scored on the error … 1-0 Brewers.
Samardzija focused and struck out Ryan Braun swinging. Prince Fielder lined out hard to center and it appeared Samardzija would get out of the inning with just one unearned run.
Jim Edmonds stepped in and launch a Samardzija fastball over the wall in center … 3-0 Brewers. Gregg Zaun followed with a home run to right … after one, 4-0 Brewers.
The Cubs cut the Brewers lead to 4-1 in the second. Tyler Colvin tripled with one out and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Alfonso Soriano.
After Samardzija worked around a walk and a single in the second without allowing a run, John Grabow took over in the third.
Jim Edmonds reached on a one-out double to left … Soriano could not make a play on the ball. Gregg Zaun blooped a single into right, Edmonds held at third with one out. Jody Gerut then popped a ball into shallow center. Bobby Scales called off Tyler Colvin, then dropped the ball. Edmonds scored, 5-1 Brewers … the second error for Bobby Scales in his last two games.
Marcos Mateo had little to no command once again on Friday. Following a decent fourth inning, Mateo could not throw a strike in the fifth.
The Brewers scored five runs in the fifth on five walks, a two-run homer by Jody Gerut and a two-run single by Prince Fielder off of Jeremy Papelbon.
James Adduci led off the seventh with a double to center. With one out, Aramis Ramirez doubled to left. Adduci scored, 10-2 Brewers. Tyler Colvin singled to right and plated Ramirez with the Cubs third and final run.
Logan Watkins, Nelson Perez, Junior Lake, Jeremy Papelbon, Brandon Guyer and Smaily Borgues were brought in from minor league camp on Friday afternoon.
Tom Gorzelanny and the Cubs will face the South Side in Vegas on Friday night.