The Cubs got back in the win column Tuesday night with the 12-3 victory in St. Louis. The Cubs scored six runs in the first inning, added two more in the fifth on a Jorge Soler home run and scored four jug runs in the ninth. Jason Hammel put together his best and longest outing of the season.
Joe Maddon’s team improved to 30-14 on the season. The Cubs are the first team in the game to 30 wins. The Giants (29-19) and Nationals (28-18) trail the Cubs for the most victories in the National League. And in the American League, the Red Sox (28-17), White Sox (27-20) and Mariners (27-18) lead the three divisions.
The Cubs .682 winning percentage is 60 points better than the Red Sox (.622). And the Cubs have a run differential of plus-118 on the season.
According to ESPN, this is the first time the Cubs have been the first team to win 30 games in a season since 1918. The Cubs and Red Sox reached 30 victories on the same day 98 years ago. The Cubs and Red Sox squared off in The Series that season with Boston winning the Fall Classic 4-2.
Tuesday’s Post-Game Reports and Recap
Here are the post-game reports and recap from Tuesday’s win in St. Louis:
- CCO – Cubs Break Out the Bats, Beat the Redbirds
- Comcast SportsNet – They’re Back: Cubs lineup bludgeons Cardinals
- ESPN Chicago – Cubs remind the baseball world how good they can be
- The Tribune – Cubs offense breaks out for 12-3 victory to snap three-game losing streak
David Ross
David Ross was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and two RBI on Tuesday night. Ross got the start with Jason Hammel on the hill. With the early start Wednesday (12:45pm CDT), Ross played Tuesday night which means Miguel Montero should catch Jake Arrieta in the series finale with the Cardinals.
Ross delivered a big hit in the six-run first inning, a two-out, two-run double to center. The ball hit off the end of Randal Grichuk’s glove and dropped in for a double. The Cubs took a 4-0 lead and Ross scored when Jason Hammel followed with a double.
Ross recorded the 500th hit of his big league career with the first inning double. Ross needs one more longball to have 100 homers in the majors.
Grandpa Rossy is now hitting .254/.354/.448 in 25 games this season with four doubles and three home runs for a .801 OPS.
Jason Hammel followed Ross with a two-run double in the six-run first inning. According to Christopher Kamka, Ross and Hammel became the first Cubs battery with back-to-back doubles since Geovany Soto and Carlos Zambrano on Aug. 3, 2008.
Cubs’ pitchers have a 2.25 ERA with Ross behind the plate this season.
Rob Zastryzny
Rob Zastryzny made his Triple-A debut on Tuesday night and helped end the I-Cubs losing streak on the mound and at the plate.
Zastryzny completed seven innings and allowed two runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Zastryzny made 79 pitches, 47 for strikes, in what was a solid start for the lefty.
At the plate, Zastryzny was 1-for-2 with a double, a sac bunt and a run scored. Zastryzny doubled in the seventh and scored when Albert Almora Jr. delivered a bases clearing double to center field.
Gerardo Concepcion
Gerardo Concepcion followed Rob Zastryzny to the mound Tuesday night at Principal Park. Concepcion completed another scoreless inning. Concepcion struck out one of the three batters he faced and threw 13 pitches, eight for strikes.
The lefty has appeared in four games for the I-Cubs. In 6 2/3 innings, Concepcion has not allowed a run while surrendering two hits with three walks and five strikeouts.
News and Notes
• Ben Zobrist went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and two runs scored on Tuesday night and has now reached base safely with either a walk or a basehit in each of his last 30 starts.
• Jason Heyward told ESPN Chicago that he was a “little sore but good to go” after Tuesday’s game.
• Comcast SportsNet: ‘The Butterfly Effect’ from Jason Heyward’s return to Cubs lineup
• Addison Russell hustled down the line in the ninth inning Tuesday night with his team leading 8-1. Russell was called out on what was a routine grounder but replays showed differently and Joe Maddon asked the umps to take another look. The call was overturned and the Cubs went on to score four runs. Russell ended up 2-for-5 with two runs scored on the night. ESPN Chicago reported that Joe Maddon “raved” about Russell’s hustle to the beat writers after the game.
• Theo Epstein attended the South Bend Cubs game on Tuesday night. Jed Hoyer was with the big league team in St. Louis.
• The Cubs released OF Shane Victorino on Monday from his minor league contract. Victorino reportedly is not looking to retire and will try to sign with another team. Jed Hoyer said Monday that he thought Victorino was Major League ready. The Cubs did not have a spot for him on the big league roster.
• According to the Des Moines Register, RHP Ryan Williams was placed on the 7-day DL with shoulder discomfort. Williams felt something in his last start last Thursday (May 19) and left the game early. Williams is 4-1 in eight starts this season with a 3.30 ERA and 1.26 WHIP.
• The I-Cubs placed RHP Stephen Fife on the disabled list Tuesday with an oblique injury.
• RHP Pierce Johnson threw live BP at Principal Park prior to Tuesday’s game. Marty Pevey told the Des Moines Register that he thinks Johnson “could be back in the rotation at the end of June after some time in Arizona.”
• According to Ben Badler, the Dodgers had “a big crew at the Cuban showcase in the Dominican Republic” on Tuesday. 2B Jose Miguel Fernandez and Lazarito Armenteros played.
And last, but not least, for those that may have missed Justin Grimm’s webgem.
.@LenKasper's call was as ???? as @GrimmReaper_52's play.https://t.co/WoyGyub4Lq
— #VoteCubs (@Cubs) May 25, 2016
This Day in Cubstory
2014 – Cubs signed free agent Manny Ramirez
2012 – Cubs signed free agent Diory Hernandez
2001 – Kerry Wood gave up a leadoff single to Mark Loretta to start the seventh inning. The only hit allowed by Wood in a 1-0 victory over the Brewers. Wood struck out 14 batters in the one-hit gem.
1993 – Cubs released Mike Dyer
1989 – Neil Ramirez, born
1984 – The Cubs traded Bill Buckner to the Red Sox for Mike Brumley and Dennis Eckersley
1981 – Behind 8-0 in the middle of the fourth innings, the Cubs rallied and beat the Pirates 10-9 in 11 innings at Wrigley Field.
1982 – In the third inning of a game against the Padres, Ferguson Jenkins struck out Garry Templeton, the 3,000th strikeout of his career. Jenkins was only the seventh pitcher at the time to record 3,000 strikeouts.
1982 – Brad Snyder, born
1980 – Scott Hairston, born
1977 – Cubs released Tim Ireland
1975 – Randall Simon, born
1973 – Todd Walker, born
1971 – Angel Echevarria, born
1962 – Ernie Banks was beaned by Moe Drabowsky and taken from the field on a stretcher. The Cubs lost to the Reds 2-1.
1931 – Jim Marshall, born
1908 – Joe Tinker hit one out of the park but is only credited with a double under ground rules of the time; the winning run was on first base as the Cubs beat the Giants 8-7 at the West Side Grounds
In non-Cubs related notes from history, on this day in 1935, Babe Ruth hit three home runs in the Boston Braves 11-7 loss in Pittsburgh. Ruth’s seventh inning home run off Gary Bush, a blast that cleared the roof at Forbes Field, was the last home run of his career. #714 And on this day in 1951, Willie Mays made his big league debut at Shibe Park in Philadelphia