Contreras Delivers Again In Cubs Win, Cardinals Edge Rockies

Print

Published on July 26 2017 6:10 am
Last Updated on July 26 2017 6:10 am

By ESPN

John Lackey hit four batters, including three in one inning. Carlos Rodon matched a career high with 11 strikeouts, and was gone after four innings. Javier Baez struck out five times, and Kris Bryant was handed his first career ejection.

On a very strange day, Willson Contreras delivered -- again.

Contreras drove in four runs and Carl Edwards Jr. provided some timely relief, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the Chicago White Sox 7-2 on Tuesday.

Ben Zobrist reached four times from the leadoff spot as the North Siders won for the ninth time in 11 games since the All-Star break. Lackey (7-9) became the first Cubs pitcher to plunk four guys since Moe Drabowsky on June 2, 1957, at Cincinnati, but managed to get into the sixth inning for his second straight victory.

"It was a day of awkward record-making or breaking today," manager Joe Maddon said.

The AL-worst White Sox were unable to overcome a strange performance by Rodon (1-4) in their 10th loss in 11 games. The left-hander struck out the side three times and smacked a two-run double for his first career hit, but struggled with his command in his third straight loss.

"I'd probably trade those 11 strikeouts in for six or seven innings," he said. "Just not tax the bullpen and go out there and go that long."

Contreras helped the Cubs get off to a fast start with a three-run drive onto Waveland Avenue for his 16th homer in the first. He singled in the third and drove in Jon Jay with another base hit in Chicago's two-run sixth.

Contreras' three-hit day was a nice rebound performance after he struck out looking with two runners on for the final out in the Cubs' 3-1 loss in the series opener on Monday. He is batting .347 (25 for 72) with seven homers and 18 RBI in 18 July games.

"Just trying to do simple better like Maddon says," a grinning Contreras said.

The Cubs carried a 4-2 lead into the sixth, but Lackey was pulled after the White Sox put runners on second and third with no outs.

Edwards came in and struck out Tyler Saladino before making an athletic play on Melky Cabrera's comebacker for the second out. With the Wrigley Field crowd of 40,717 standing and cheering, Edwards then struck out Jose Abreu to end the inning.

The wiry reliever held his arms out and yelled as he left the mound after escaping the jam.

"That's the game-changer," Maddon said. "That was the linchpin to victory right there."

Omar Narvaez went 2 for 2 with two walks for the White Sox, who went 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position. Rodon, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 draft, was charged with four runs and seven hits.

"Today they were able to drive in some runs in a timely fashion," manager Rick Renteria said. "Today we had some opportunities and just weren't able to get them in."

Both benches were warned by home plate umpire Lance Barksdale after White Sox reliever Chris Beck plunked Ian Happ in the fifth. Lackey hit three batters in the top half of the inning, including Abreu for the second time, but Tim Anderson bounced into a fielder's choice for the final out.

"I wasn't trying to hit anybody, but I totally get the other side, too," Lackey said. "Tell Happy, my bad, apologize for that, have to buy him something nice for getting hit. But the game polices itself. Whether I intentionally did it or not, I get it on the other side. You've got to take care of your guys too."


Cardinals 3, Rockies 2

Harrison Bader started the day in Memphis and ended it sliding across home plate with the game-winning run for the St. Louis Cardinals in his major league debut.

"I don't know if I'd say I dreamed about that moment, because that would be a little weird, but definitely just saw the perfect opportunity," Bader said after doubling to lead off the ninth inning and scoring on Jedd Gyorko's short sacrifice fly in a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.

"It was awesome," Bader said. "It was a dream come true, for sure."

Bader got the news of the surprise call-up on Tuesday morning when the Cardinals decided to place Dexter Fowler on the 10-day disabled list with a strained left wrist. The 23-year-old from Bronxville, New York, taken in the third round of the 2015 amateur draft, made the four-hour drive to St. Louis in a car service with his dad, Louis, who happened to be visiting him at the Triple-A Redbirds.

His mom, Janice Baio, and sister, Sasha, caught a flight from New York's LaGuardia Airport at about 5 p.m. and got to Busch Stadium in the fifth inning, in time for his third at-bat.

Bader started in center field and hit seventh, and he grounded out, struck out and flied out in his first three times up. He doubled down the left-field line against on a 95 mph fastball from lefty Jake McGee (0-1) in the ninth. Bader was batting .403 (29 for 72) with 10 homers against lefties at Triple-A this year.

Greg Garcia sacrificed as Bader took third, and Gyorko hit a fly near the right-field line that Carlos Gonzalez caught 248 feet from the plate. The speedy Bader slid across jubilantly as Gonzalez's one-hop throw went slightly up the third-base line.

"Game's on the line," Bader said, "so kind of do-or-die moment. As soon as you see that ball make any contact with the glove, you just put your head down and run in a straight line."

Rockies manager Bud Black could not fault Gonzalez.

"CarGo made a strong throw, but the hop just wasn't right," Black said.

Cardinals third-base coach Mike Shildt did not hesitate to send Bader.

"We have to take a chance and then trust in the speed," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "Jedd got enough and Bader did the rest. It was, I'm sure, a first game he'll never forget."

A 23-year-old from Bronxville, New York, Bader was the 100th overall pick in 2015 and was hitting .297 with 19 home runs and 48 RBI in 97 games for Memphis this season.

He became only the second player from Horace Mann School in New York to make it to the major leagues after Pedro Alvarez, a third baseman who played for Pittsburgh from 2010-15 and was selected an All-Star in 2013. Converted to first base, Alvarez spent last year with Baltimore and has been with the Orioles' Triple-A team at Norfolk, Virginia, this season.

Bader's father, speaking after the game, recalled toughening his son for a possible professional career.

"I threw at him periodically. You got to get used to getting hit," Louis Bader said. "I never hit him in the head. But he had a helmet on just in case. That's part of baseball. I knew he was good. I knew he was going to be a potential legitimate player, and so I knew he had to be brought up the right way. Listen, I never wanted to hurt him, obviously, "but you can't be afraid."

Trevor Rosenthal (3-4) pitched two scoreless innings.

Major League Baseball experimented with 1-minute, 45-second breaks between innings rather than the usual 2:05 for locally televised games, and the game lasted 3:11 -- 6 minutes longer than this year's big league average for nine-inning games.

Lance Lynn, who may be traded before Monday's deadline, allowed one run and three hits over six innings. The 30-year-old right-hander is eligible for free agency after this season.

Rockies starter Jon Gray gave up two runs and eight hits in five innings.

Cardinals rookie Paul DeJong hit a two-run homer in the first, his 13th of the season and seventh in July. Gerardo Parra had a sacrifice fly in the seventh off Kevin Siegrist, and Trevor Story tied the score in the eighth against Matt Bowman with his 14th homer.

An inning later, Bader crossed the plate and then jumped into the arm of waiting teammate Matt Carpenter

"He was right there," Bader said. "So that was pretty cool."


Tuesday, July 25 Scoreboard

Chicago Cubs 7, Chicago White Sox 2

New York Yankees 4, Cincinnati 2

Milwaukee 8, Washington 0

Houston 5, Philadelphia 0

Toronto 4, Oakland 1

Cleveland 11, Los Angeles Angels 7 (F/11)

Kansas City 3, Detroit 1

Tampa Bay 5, Baltimore 4

Texas 10, Miami 4

St. Louis 3, Colorado 2

Atlanta 8, Arizona 3

Seattle 6, Boston 5 (F/13)

Los Angeles Dodgers 6, Minnesota 2

New York Mets 6, San Diego 5

San Francisco 11, Pittsburgh 3


Wednesday, July 26 Schedule (All Times Central)

Baltimore at Tampa Bay, 11:10 a.m.

Cincinnati at New York Yankees, 12:05 p.m.

Boston at Seattle, 2:40 p.m.

Atlanta at Arizona, 2:40 p.m.

Pittsburgh at San Francisco, 2:45 p.m.

Milwaukee at Washington, 6:05 p.m.

Houston at Philadelphia, 6:05 p.m.

Oakland at Toronto, 6:07 p.m.

Los Angeles Angels at Cleveland, 6:10 p.m.

Kansas City at Detroit, 6:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox, 7 p.m.

Miami at Texas, 7:05 p.m.

Colorado at St. Louis, 7:15 p.m.

Minnesota at Los Angeles Dodgers, 9:10 p.m.

New York Mets at San Diego, 9:10 p.m.