The Cubs outscored the Brewers 4 to 2 in innings two through nine tonight. Unfortunately, you’ve gotta play that first inning, too, and that’s where Paul Maholm made friends with the Brewers.
The disconcerting part was not so much the results – even great pitchers have clunkers – it was the way Maholm looked. That is to say, bad. He didn’t seem to have any idea where the ball was going in that first inning, and, by the end, was reduced to what looked like a quarterback trying to guide the ball over the plate. In the second inning, he was giving up long shots that very easily could have been homers on another day. And then he gave up a homer to Jonathan Lucroy in the third.
First start jitters? Trouble with the cold weather? We can’t be sure. He had a good (abbreviated) Spring, but let’s not forget that this is a guy coming back from a shoulder injury. We’ll just have to watch his next few starts to see if a pattern develops.
At least Lendy Castillo had a scoreless inning, David DeJesus got a couple hits, and Geovany Soto went deep.