Edwin Jackson played the part of A.J. Burnett tonight, combining erratic control with absent command, leading to a four-spot in the first inning. The Cubs were behind the 8-ball all night from there, but they did manage to come back twice, which was nice to see.
Starlin Castro got everyone extremely excited with a three-run, game-tying homer in the fourth … and Jackson promptly gave it right back the next half inning. The Cubs then came back again in the 7th … and the bullpen promptly gave it right back the next half inning courtesy of three walks. It wasn’t the kind of loss that makes you utterly despondent, but it would have been a hell of a nice game to win, considering how it started.
Ricky Renteria became – I believe – the first manager to be ejected this year, when he was tossed in the 9th for arguing balls and strikes (the game tracker indicated he was right, too). It was the culmination of a strike zone that didn’t seem to go the Cubs’ way tonight.
Getting tired of these one-run losses to the Pirates, dude.