Cubs stay red-hot against Giants

Vogelsong hadn t started a game since July 11 and was coming off a blown save in his last relief appearance, but he has flashed such bat-breaking stuff that the coaching staff retained its high confidence in him. Reliever Justin Grimm recorded the final out in the eighth. Then, the Giants decided to put him on the DL. “But at this point in the season, if you have the opportunity, you’ve got to close those out”. Saturday marked the 27th anniversary of the first scheduled night game at Wrigley Field.

Right after Chicago’s fourth straight win, a bomb threat prompted police to evacuate Wrigley Field.

Yes, the Cubs made it look relatively easy against the defending World Series champions for their first four-game sweep of the Giants since 1977 – a enormous step indeed. It was a costly mistake because Kris Bryant drew a two-out walk and Jorge Soler followed with a two-run double off Yusmeiro Petit.

The Giants managed a run off Lester in the second inning when Buster Posey hit a severely wind-impacted double and scored on Brandon Crawford’s single. Chris Coghlan s hard grounder deflected of Tomlinson s glove and the second baseman wasn t able to keep it in the infield as Schwarber scored.

The Giants wanted Jon Lester so badly last winter, manager Bruce Bochy and G.M. Bobby Evans flew across the country to make a house call. So there’s nobody in here panicking or thinking we don’t have what it takes. “I think our bats are turning it around a little bit”.

While the crowd of 39,939 cheered wildly, Blanco had a few words with home plate umpire Jim Reynolds about the final pitch. Jake Peavy struck out six in five innings, but he was the only starter for the Giants to record an out in the fifth in the series. He gave up five runs and five hits, walked two and hit a batter with a pitch.

“I felt I was throwing the ball really well until the fifth”, said Vogelsong, who isn’t guaranteed another start in Leake’s place but is expected to get it. “I missed pitches with two strikes”. They even became the first team ever to score a third run against the Marlins Jose Fernandez in a start at Marlins Park.

The Cubs also have three catchers – though David Ross is on bereavement leave after his grandmother’s passing – but it is less of a concern because rookie Kyle Schwarber is adapting to playing left field. 144 career batter who had has only other three hits in 2014.

“We know he can do different things, ” Maddon said of keeping the hot-hitting Schwarber in the lineup.

They sat in Lester s living room near Atlanta like a coterie of college football assistants and put forth their best recruiting pitch – along with 175 million more reasons to sign.

Giants outfielder Nori Aoki was hit in the head by a Jake Arrieta changeup in the third inning and had to leave the game. “And then we’ll move on to come back on Tuesday’s game”. The Cubs ace only struck out three in seven innings but held the Giants to two runs and benefited from two acrobatic plays from shortstop Addison Russell.

Indians 8, Twins 1 • Corey Kluber pitched a three-hitter for his third complete game of the season for host Cleveland.

Well, the Cubs caught the Giants at exactly the right time, apparently, to send them on a skid.

But the season’s portrait also will include how the team responded after being swept in a three-game series by the lowly Philadelphia Phillies last month.