Results tagged ‘ A.J. Burnett ’
Samardzija Filthy in Victorious Opener
Cold weather usually favors the pitchers, while it was cold, I think both guys didn’t need any help today. Jeff Samardzija and A.J. Burnett had themselves a nice tidy pitching duel today in the opener with Samardzija 
getting the better of the tattooed righty while spinning a masterpiece. The Cubs jumped out in front early on a loud, and long home run from Anthony Rizzo, and that was all the Cubs needed as Shark shut the door the whole day. The Cubs had to endure the customary Marmol implosion in the ninth inning, but Sveum showed a quick hook in getting Marmol out-of-the-way so Russell and Fujikawa could finish off the victory.
At The Plate – The Cubs only managed six hits on the day, but they were productive. Starlin Castro was 2-for-4 with two singles, a stolen base, and one run scored. As I mentioned, Anthony Rizzo had the big blow, Rizzo ended the day 1-for-4 with that massive two-run homer in the first. Nate Schierholtz enjoyed a solid Cubs debut as he was 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. Welington Castillo rounded out the offense today going 2-for-4 with two opposite field doubles, and an RBI.
On The Mound – It was the Jeff Samardzija show from start to almost finish. Shark went eight dominant innings giving up no runs on two hits while walking one and striking out nine Pirates. He turned things over to Marmol in the ninth, and things got sketchy. Marmol was only able to retire one hitter in the ninth, he hit McCutchen and gave up one hit, and a run as well. James Russell took over and retired the only hitter he faced, then the new Cubs import Kyuji Fujikawa retired the only man he faced, on two pitches, two earn his first Major League save.
Up Next – The Cubs have tomorrow off, which is the worst after a winning opening day, now we have to wait till Wednesday to watch them play again. That is when Edwin Jackson will make his Cubs debut against Wandy Rodriguez at 6:05 PM CST.
Game Highlights:
Anthony Rizzo’s BOMB
Jeff Samardzija’s Awesome Start
Full Video Recap
Castillo’s RBI Double
Thanks for reading,
- George
April 1, 2013 – Cubs @ Pirates / Opening Day Preview
It’s here! Well, it’s almost here, the lineups will be posted once they are available, here is everything you need to know up to this point.
LET’S GO CUBS!! Thanks for reading,
- George
July 30 – August 1, 2012; vs. Pirates – Series Preview
The Cubs are getting used to this whole spoiler thing as they are coming off series wins against the second place (Pirates) and third place (Cardinals) teams in the Central. The Pirates come to town to kick off the week and they are seeking some revenge as the Cubs took two out of three at PNC park last week. Not many teams can say that as the Pirates boast the best home record in baseball, on the road they are average, hovering right around .500 on the season. It will be very interesting to see how this series plays out as it starts before the trade deadline and ends after it. Both teams might look very different come Wednesday. Let’s take an in-depth look at this series, hope you enjoy the new format.
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Thanks for reading, go Cubs!
- George
