Pham doubles, Fowler doubles—it's tied at two on the North Side of Chicago. Day baseball on a Friday at Wrigley! Arrieta snaps off a curve to Gyorko, the count goes to 1-and-2. Gyorko lines out to second.
Zobrist kicks off the third by hooking a CarMart change into the left-field corner. That's six hits for the Cubs. RiZzo, FC 6-3, Zobrist moves up to third base. Willson Contreras, who hit a two-run homer earlier lines out to second. Here's Kyle Schwarber. He knocks a squibbler, fair, to Carpenter, who takes it to the bag himself, 3-U.
I went out to cut a handful or zinnia, which were quickly wilting with pain just a few minutes later. It's 101°, pushing 102° here. Arrieta sneaks a ball through Paul DeJong's legs. It looks like it's about 86° at Wrigley. A ball to DeJong goes 6-5 FC, Arrieta out at third. Ron Coomer, on the CubCast, wonders why DeJong didn't go to second to begin a double play. (Heyward had singled after Arrieta reached on the error.) RiZzo singles, the Cubs retake the lead, it's 3-2 Chicago.
The Cubs radio production rests Pat Hughes in the fifth, allowing their third voice to step in and call the game with Coomer. They're a bad duo. I just switched to the Cradio feed instead. When you get a radio announcer on air issuing what he himself calls his "hot takes" you've got yourself a bad broadcast. This upstart has a chance to call an inning of a Cubs game and instead of calling the game he starts bloviating. I shake my head. There is an infectious Midwest smarm that has tainted several baseball broadcast booths. A Uecker-less Brewer booth yesterday showed evidence of such infection, which presented as a couple of Funny Men cracking jokes instead of calling a baseball game. The Rooney-Horton Cradio tag-team epitomizes this stinky shtick. I don't want funny I want baseball.
A bit later, Strop on the mound, top 7, it's still 3-2 Cubs. Greg Garcia stands in to pinch-hit for Carlos Martinez. CarMart's line: 6 IP, 10 H, 3 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, 92 pitches. He was surprisingly hittable and his ERA now stands at 3.34. Strop is imprecise with his fastballs but he's got a 3-and-2 count, two out, runner at third. Garcia, 3-1.
A bit later. The Cardinals have tied the game 3-3 on a Gyorko bases-loaded walk. Carl Edwards Jr had walked a couple of batters, then Hector Rondon came in and poured gasoline on the fire; allowed that Gyorko walk and now a DeJong double, which plated two. It's 5-3 St. Louis. Another walk, the fourth of the inning. Grimm warms quickly.
(There is, by the way, no word yet on today's HotCut.)
Grichuk singles. Maddon is out to send Rendon to the showers. First Edwards Jr and now Rondon cannot get anyone out. Carson Kelly takes a Grimm offering and bangs it off the wall, two runs score, Kelly on second with a double, the game blown open at 8-3 Redbirds. Another walk as Grimm walks Voit. This is incredible. A rogue wave has consumed the Cubbie bullpen seemingly from out of nowhere: five walks, three doubles, a single, and no outs. Carpenter singles, Grichuk scores, 9-3. Pham singles, two more runs score! Nine runs, no one out, 11-3. Now a smash to RiZzo, he gets the putout at first, catches Carpenter going to third, 3-5 DP. Gyorko walks. Wild pitch, runners advance to second and third. "It's been about a thirty to thirty-five minute half-inning," says Pat H. DeJong fans, it's over.
Pham catches a Russell fly to end the eighth but Fowler inexplicably runs into Pham. Pat H says Pham hobbled off the field.
Trivia from the Cubs broadcast: only one player has hit at least 20 home runs in each season since 2009. Any guesses? I have a guess. Not Braun, not Canó. AL West. Not Pujols. I'm pretty sure it's Nelson Cruz. Yeah. Leake, appearing as a pinch-hitter, is retired and this game heads to the bottom of the ninth.
The Cubs are making small noises but Almora pinch-hits for RiZzo with the bases loaded. Oh gets Contreras and this game is over. I note that both Fowler and Pham were back on the field for the ninth but I do recall Pat and Ron noting that RiZzo was rubbing his arm after throwing to third to nab Carpenter 3-5 in that surreal top of the eighth. The Cardinals move to 47-49 whilst the Cubs sit at 49-46. It will be about 84 minutes until another pitch is thrown in Today's Show.
Zobrist kicks off the third by hooking a CarMart change into the left-field corner. That's six hits for the Cubs. RiZzo, FC 6-3, Zobrist moves up to third base. Willson Contreras, who hit a two-run homer earlier lines out to second. Here's Kyle Schwarber. He knocks a squibbler, fair, to Carpenter, who takes it to the bag himself, 3-U.
I went out to cut a handful or zinnia, which were quickly wilting with pain just a few minutes later. It's 101°, pushing 102° here. Arrieta sneaks a ball through Paul DeJong's legs. It looks like it's about 86° at Wrigley. A ball to DeJong goes 6-5 FC, Arrieta out at third. Ron Coomer, on the CubCast, wonders why DeJong didn't go to second to begin a double play. (Heyward had singled after Arrieta reached on the error.) RiZzo singles, the Cubs retake the lead, it's 3-2 Chicago.
The Cubs radio production rests Pat Hughes in the fifth, allowing their third voice to step in and call the game with Coomer. They're a bad duo. I just switched to the Cradio feed instead. When you get a radio announcer on air issuing what he himself calls his "hot takes" you've got yourself a bad broadcast. This upstart has a chance to call an inning of a Cubs game and instead of calling the game he starts bloviating. I shake my head. There is an infectious Midwest smarm that has tainted several baseball broadcast booths. A Uecker-less Brewer booth yesterday showed evidence of such infection, which presented as a couple of Funny Men cracking jokes instead of calling a baseball game. The Rooney-Horton Cradio tag-team epitomizes this stinky shtick. I don't want funny I want baseball.
A bit later, Strop on the mound, top 7, it's still 3-2 Cubs. Greg Garcia stands in to pinch-hit for Carlos Martinez. CarMart's line: 6 IP, 10 H, 3 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, 92 pitches. He was surprisingly hittable and his ERA now stands at 3.34. Strop is imprecise with his fastballs but he's got a 3-and-2 count, two out, runner at third. Garcia, 3-1.
A bit later. The Cardinals have tied the game 3-3 on a Gyorko bases-loaded walk. Carl Edwards Jr had walked a couple of batters, then Hector Rondon came in and poured gasoline on the fire; allowed that Gyorko walk and now a DeJong double, which plated two. It's 5-3 St. Louis. Another walk, the fourth of the inning. Grimm warms quickly.
(There is, by the way, no word yet on today's HotCut.)
Grichuk singles. Maddon is out to send Rendon to the showers. First Edwards Jr and now Rondon cannot get anyone out. Carson Kelly takes a Grimm offering and bangs it off the wall, two runs score, Kelly on second with a double, the game blown open at 8-3 Redbirds. Another walk as Grimm walks Voit. This is incredible. A rogue wave has consumed the Cubbie bullpen seemingly from out of nowhere: five walks, three doubles, a single, and no outs. Carpenter singles, Grichuk scores, 9-3. Pham singles, two more runs score! Nine runs, no one out, 11-3. Now a smash to RiZzo, he gets the putout at first, catches Carpenter going to third, 3-5 DP. Gyorko walks. Wild pitch, runners advance to second and third. "It's been about a thirty to thirty-five minute half-inning," says Pat H. DeJong fans, it's over.
Pham catches a Russell fly to end the eighth but Fowler inexplicably runs into Pham. Pat H says Pham hobbled off the field.
Trivia from the Cubs broadcast: only one player has hit at least 20 home runs in each season since 2009. Any guesses? I have a guess. Not Braun, not Canó. AL West. Not Pujols. I'm pretty sure it's Nelson Cruz. Yeah. Leake, appearing as a pinch-hitter, is retired and this game heads to the bottom of the ninth.
The Cubs are making small noises but Almora pinch-hits for RiZzo with the bases loaded. Oh gets Contreras and this game is over. I note that both Fowler and Pham were back on the field for the ninth but I do recall Pat and Ron noting that RiZzo was rubbing his arm after throwing to third to nab Carpenter 3-5 in that surreal top of the eighth. The Cardinals move to 47-49 whilst the Cubs sit at 49-46. It will be about 84 minutes until another pitch is thrown in Today's Show.
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