Cubs Win Behind Zobrist & Russell, Make it 8 in a Row
This game had all the makings of a blowout, the Cubs scored four in runs in the bottom of the third inning to make it 5-0 and Jon Lester was on the mound. Check and check. The Padres got one run in the top of the fourth inning and the Cubs struck back with a run of their own in the bottom of the fourth. The score was 6-1 and everything was good.
In the top of the fifth inning the Padres made it a little more interesting by scoring two more runs to make it 6-3. Still a comfortable lead but you could see that Lester wasn’t going to last much longer. He lasted one more inning – six innings overall – without any further damage and handed the ball to Trevor Cahill in the top of the seventh.
The Cubs tacked on two more runs off an Addison Russell triple in the bottom of the seventh inning and the lead was 8-3. Time to start tucking the kids in. Not so fast, the Padres just kept fighting back in this one.
In the top of the eighth inning, after Justin Grimm loaded the bases, Adam Warren came on in relief and served up a grand slam. Oops, that wasn’t supposed to happen and now the score was 8-7 and the Padres were right back in the game.
After the Cubs couldn’t score in the bottom of the eighth inning, Hector Rondon came on for the Cubs in the top of the ninth inning looking for his seventh save on the year. Rondon worked his magic as he struck out two batters and got a ground-out to end what turned into a close game.
Cubs win by the score of 8-7 (Box Score).
Clutch hitting
The Cubs offense just keeps charging forward and Ben Zobrist was once again right in the middle of everything, or so it seemed. Ben was 4-for-4 on the night, scoring three runs and driving in two more. All four hits were singles with three of them coming in consecutive innings, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th. In his last eight games Ben’s hitting .448 with four home runs, seventeen RBIs, eleven runs and a .514 on-base percentage.
Addison Russell had a big night and is continuing to play well lately. He had two hits, a one-run double and two-run triple, finishing the night with three RBIs, two hits and a walk. In his last seven games coming into tonight, Addison was hitting .333/.440/.429 with .467 BABIP (FanGraphs).
We’re streakin’ everybody
The Cubs win their eighth in a row tonight and avoid the let down game after sweeping the Pirates and the Nationals. Their record improves to 25-6. That’s fun to write, say, think…you get the picture. The Cubs are streakin’!!
8 wins in a row.
25-6: https://t.co/6ZZW74yl3D#SoFirepic.twitter.com/VbBzIioxLp
— MLB (@MLB) May 11, 2016
Next up
The Cubs will play two tomorrow. The first is a make-up from yesterday’s rain-out and starts at 12:05 CDT with Kyle Hendricks pitching. The second game, which will require a separate ticket, starts and 7:05 CDT and will feature John Lackey on the mound. Rest up my friends, tomorrow is going to be a busy day!
