Enhanced Box Score: Cubs 4, Cardinals 3 – August 11, 2016
Another crazy walk-off win for the Cubs! This time it was a shrimp (a walk-off, bases-loaded walk).
Wow.
It was another wild Cubs-Cardinals game, which is what you want to see (if it’s not going to be a Cubs blowout, that is).
Jon Lester was solid in his outing, allowing only a couple runs on a trio of singles in the first (none well-hit) and a solo Brandon Moss homer. Another solo homer, this time by Randal Grichuk off of Travis Wood in the 7th, was the only other run the Cardinals got in regulation. The Cardinals would have scored another run in that inning if David Ross hadn’t picked off Jedd Gyorko at first base (tag to the face), or if Chris Coghlan and Addison Russell had combined on a great relay to nail Matt Carpenter at the plate (tag to the face).
The Cubs managed to tie things up on a bases-loaded single by Chris Coghlan, and then briefly took a 3-2 lead when David Ross dropped the surprise two-out bunt with Jason Heyward at third.
From there, the bullpen held the Cardinals down, and, although the Cubs squandered so many opportunities in this one, they put together some good at bats in the 11th, and won the game.
The Cubs will probably have to be on high alert for the rest of the series, particularly Bryant and Rizzo, as Matt Holliday was hit on the hand in the 10th by Mike Montgomery and had to exit the game. That tends not to go un-repaid by the Cardinals in recent years against the Cubs, however unintentional Montgomery’s pitch may have (obviously) been.
Speaking of Montgomery, he gave the Cubs a couple scoreless innings when the bullpen was toast, which was great. But boy was the command rocky. His 11th inning high wire routine was reminiscent of Carlos Marmol.
But, while the Cubs lefty got out of his bases-loaded jam in the 11th, the Cardinals’ lefty did not. Cubs win. That’s 10 in a row!
