Game One Hundred Fifty-Two – Cubs 0 Giants 13
WP – Madison Bumgarner (6-6) LP – Ryan Dempster (14-11) Save – None
The Chicago Cubs were shutout for the second time in three games on Thursday night. While the Giants were busy lighting up the scoreboard in the last night game of the year at Wrigley, Q’s offense managed only seven hits and not a single run on a night the wind was blowing out.
Ryan Dempster followed up two of his better starts of the season with his shortest outing in a Cubs’ uniform. Dempster lasted just 1 2/3 innings Thursday night, the shortest start for the Cubs’ right-hander since April 30, 2003 … 1 1/3 innings in Colorado.
The Giants scored nine of their 13 runs in the second inning against Ryan Dempster and Thomas Diamond. Dempster walked a pair, hit Jose Guillen twice and gave up the first of two homers to Juan Uribe.
Juan Uribe had a huge second inning. The former South Sider hit a two run homer off Dempster in the second that gave the Giants a 3-0 lead … then hit a grand slam later in the inning off of Thomas Diamond. Uribe finished the game 2-for-4 with a pair of longballs and six RBI.
Ryan Dempster could not find the strike zone. Dempster threw 53 pitches, 30 for strikes, and allowed nine runs on seven hits with two walks, two strikeouts and two hit batsmen.
The Cubs bullpen followed Dempster’s lead and kept serving up hits to the Giants. San Francisco scored 13 runs on 19 hits with only three walks, two hit by pitch and hit four homers. Six Cubs pitchers combined on only five strikeouts in nine innings.
Mike Fontenot (2-for-6 with a double and two runs scored), Freddy Sanchez (4-for-5 with a double and a run scored), Buster Posey (2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI), Juan Uribe, Cody Ross (3-for-5 with a home run) and Madison Bumgarner (2-for-4 with a run scored) each had multiple hit nights for the Giants.
The Cubs finished the season series against the Giants with a 2-5 record after scoring only two runs, one earned, in the three-game series. With the loss, the Cubs slipped to 18-9 under Mike Quade and to 69-83 on the season … 14 games under .500. Thursday night was all Giants … all the time, with help from the Cubs’ pitching staff.
It was obvious in the first inning it was going to be a rough night for Ryan Dempster. Mike Fontenot led off the game with a single to right. Freddy Sanchez singled to right on a 0-1 pitch. Fontenot advanced to third with no outs.
Dempster walked Aubrey Huff on four pitches to load the bases. Buster Posey hit into a 5-4-3 double play, Fontenot scored … 1-0 Giants. Pat Burrell flied out to right and Dempster got out of the jam with minimal damage. That all changed in the second inning …
Dempster hit Jose Guillen on a 1-1 pitch. Juan Uribe then crushed a 0-2 pitch over the wall in left and onto Waveland. Cody Ross struck out but Madison Bumgarner just missed a homer and settled with a long single off the wall in right. Mike Fontenot doubled to left center … and put runners on second and third with one out.
Sanchez singled in Bumgarner (4-0 Giants) but Huff struck out looking for the second out. For just a minute, Dempster appeared to be on the verge of getting out of the inning.
Buster Posey singled to center off Castro’s glove, on a 3-2 pitch. Dempster’s 50th pitch of the game was a wild one that allowed Sanchez to score from third … 6-0 Giants. Dempster hit Guillen for the second time in the inning to end his night.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Thomas Diamond took over and served up the fifth career Grand Slam to Juan Uribe … 10-0 Giants, and the embarrassment was on again.
After singles by Ross and Bumgarner, Diamond finally retired Fontenot to end the inning … 14 batters later.
While the Cubs were making one out after another, the Giants tacked on in the third.
Buster Posey hit his second homer of the series on a 3-2 pitch from Thomas Diamond … 11-0 Giants.
San Francisco scored 11 runs before the Cubs made it through the lineup one time.
The Giants did not score in the fourth or fifth … but made it 12-0 in the sixth.
Cody Ross added insult to embarrassment with a long homer off Marcos Mateo.
The Giants 13th and final run came against Justin Berg in the eighth.
With a majority of the reserves for both teams in the game, Eli Whiteside led off the inning with a single to left. Aaron Rowand single to right. Nate Schierholtz grounded into a 3-6 force out. Pablo Sandoval hit for Juan Uribe and singled to right. Whiteside scored … 13-0.
Cody Ross grounded into a 6-3 force then pinch hitter Eugenio Velez grounded out to second to end the inning.
The Cubs, like so many other innings on Thursday night, went down in order in the ninth.
It’s just a way of life …
The Cardinals make their way to Wrigley for the final three of the year at the old ballpark. Tom Gorzelanny will face Adam Wainwright in the opener on Friday afternoon.