Game Seventy-Two – Cubs 5, Marlins 4
WP – Trevor Cahill (1-2) LP – Mike Dunn (0-1) Save – Hector Rondon (13)
Willson Contreras singled in Kris Bryant with the eventual game winner in the seventh inning as the Cubs snapped the four-game skid and beat the Marlins on Friday night in Miami.
Willson Contreras drove in three of the Cubs’ four runs. Contreras smacked a two-run homer to right in the first inning and delivered an opposite field single in the seventh that allowed Bryant to score from second base. Kris Bryant, batting second for Joe Maddon, put the Cubs on the board in the first inning with a mammoth homer to left. The Cubs scored four runs in the first and almost knocked Marlins’ starter Tom Koehler out of the game.
The Marlins answered the Cubs’ four-run first with a four-spot of their own in the home half. Kyle Hendricks could not work around an error by Addison Russell. Hendricks issued back-to-back two-out walks to load the bases. And Justin Bour launched a Grand Slam over the center field wall, the only hit Hendricks allowed in five innings of work.
Eight of the nine runs were scored in the first inning in what turned out to be a strange game in Miami that took three hours and 24 minutes to complete.
Kyle Hendricks turned the game over to the bullpen after five innings and Joe Maddon used Trevor Cahill, Travis Wood and Hector Rondon for multiple innings to pick up the win.
Joe Maddon had to shuffle his team more than he planned after Ben Zobrist left the game with a bruised left ankle. Zobrist was one of three Cubs that were hit by pitches Friday night. Zobrist had to leave the game before the bottom of the seventh. Maddon moved Baez from third to second, Bryant went from first to third. Contreras took off his gear and picked up Baez’s first baseman’s glove. And David Ross caught the final three innings.
The Cubs needed to win Friday night’s game and the entire team stepped up.
The Cubs teed off on Tom Koehler in the first inning, batted around and put a four-spot on the board. Jason Heyward, hitting leadoff for the first time this season, lined a 2-2 pitch to center that Marcell Ozuna hauled in with a sliding catch.
Kris Bryant (1-for-4 with a home run, a walk and two runs scored) stepped in the box sitting fastball. And he got one. Bryant launched Koehler’s first pitch to left and the no-doubter gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead.
Ben Zobrist (1-for-3 with a HBP and a run scored) restarted the inning with a single to right (1-2 pitch).
Willson Contreras (2-for-4 with a home run, a HBP and three RBI) drove a 0-1 offering from Koehler to deep right. The ball sailed into the bullpen beyond the right field wall. And the Cubs took a 3-0 lead on a pair of two long home runs and a single.
Chris Coghlan (1-for-3 with a triple, two walks and a run scored) followed Contreras’ homer with a triple to right. Don Mattingly brought his infield in with one out. Javier Baez (1-for-4 with a RBI) ripped a 0-1 pitch past a diving Hechavarria at short. Coghlan scored, 4-0 Cubs. Addison Russell (2-for-4) singled to left and kept the line moving. Baez stopped at second.
With runners on first and second and one down, Joe Maddon had Kyle Hendricks bunt. Hendricks got the bunt down and moved both runners up 90 feet. It was the right call, but the Cubs gave a struggling pitcher an out. Albert Almora Jr. (0-for-3) struck out swinging (0-2 pitch) to end the inning.
Kyle Hendricks had a 4-0 lead before he threw a pitch on Friday night.
Derek Dietrich reached on an error by Addison Russell to start the bottom of the first. Russell dropped the baseball on a bouncer to the hole. It was an error all the way and a play Russell has to make. Hendricks retired Martin Prado on a pop out to Baez at third and struck out Christian Yelich swinging. Hendricks did not get a couple of close pitches called his way against Marcell Ozuna or Giancarlo Stanton. Hendricks issued back-to-back two-out walks to load the bases.
Former Cubs’ farmhand Justin Bour stepped in with the bases loaded. Bour looked at strike one then watched Hendricks’ second pitch of the at bat sail over the center field wall. Bour’s four-run homer tied the game at four. J.T. Realmuto flied out to left to end the inning.
Kyle Hendricks and Tom Koehler settled in after the first inning. The game remained tied at four until the seventh inning.
Lefty Mike Dunn started the seventh for the Fish. Jason Heyward lined out to right. Dunn wanted nothing to do with Kris Bryant and walked him. Dunn hit Ben Zobrist and put runners on first and second with one out.
Willson Contreras drove a 1-0 pitch into right center. Bryant read it perfectly and scored from second with the go ahead run.
Kyle Hendricks didn’t have a bad outing but once again free passes had a major impact on a road start. Hendricks struggles with walking batters outside of Wrigley Field and that concerning trend continued Friday night.
It was an error by Addison Russell on the first batter Hendricks faced, Derek Dietrich that led to the big inning and made all four runs unearned. Hendricks still has to make pitches and he did not in the first inning.
Kyle Hendricks did not appear comfortable at any time Friday night. Hendricks labored through five innings. On a night he did not have it, Hendricks kept his team in the game. Hendricks was charged with four unearned runs on one hit with four walks, a hit batsman and five strikeouts. Hendricks made 105 pitches, 63 for strikes.
Trevor Cahill, Travis Wood and Hector Rondon each pitched multiple innings. And Rondon picked up a four-out save. The three relievers allowed two baserunners and struck out three in the one-run win.
With Friday’s win, the Cubs improved to 48-24 on the season.
John Lackey takes on Paul Clemens on Saturday afternoon (3:10pm CDT) in game three of four in Miami.