Smyly impressive as Cubs take down Rangers |
SURPRISE — After
Jameson Taillon was scratched from his start on Saturday due to back pain, the Chicago Cubs were awaiting MRI results to determine what would happen next. The results came back, and although it wasn't the worst thing in the world, it wasn't the best result either, as he is in jeopardy of missing opening day.
If that is the case, the Cubs will have a new opening in their starting rotation that needs to be filled, and several names are looking to jump on that opportunity. One name is Drew Smyly, who took the ball on Sunday looking to leave a lasting impression against the Texas Rangers. After struggling in his first two starts of the Spring, Smyly delivered a great start. He pitched into the fourth inning, allowing four hits. He walked one, struck out four, and, most importantly, didn't allow a run as he turned things over to Edwin Escobar and the rest of the pen. The Cubs needed that type of effort from Smyly, as Cody Bradford was equally as good, allowing just one run in four innings and striking out two. The lone run Bradford allowed came in the first inning as the one-out triple by Alexander Canario set the offense up. Christopher Morel would take care of things from there as his sacrifice fly put the Cubs in front 1-0, and they never looked back. That has been a common theme over their past three wins, as the Cubs have led wire to wire in each of those victories. Michael Busch would add a double later in the inning, but was unable to score as the Cubs settled for the 1-0 lead after one. That was the lone run for either side for the next several innings, as offense was tough to come by as David Bote and Morel added doubles in each of the next two innings, but couldn't score. Smyly was equally good through two innings, allowing just one hit, but in the third, he ran into serious trouble. A leadoff walk to Josh Smith didn't make things easy, but with two outs, Smyly was on the verge of getting out of the inning. That was until back-to-back singles by Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford loaded the bases as the Rangers threatened to take the lead. Needing a big pitch to end the inning, Adolis Garcia made contact, but he popped out to end the threat as Smyly escaped with the lead still intact. Over the next several innings, the Rangers continued to exert pressure. Two more singles in the fourth put a pair of runners on base before Escobar managed to escape. The same can be said about the Cubs in their half of the fifth. Chicago put two runners on but couldn't come away with the big hit to extend their lead. Through three Spring starts, Jordan Wicks has to be the favorite to lock down the No. 5 spot, but he was on in relief on Sunday, taking over for Escobar in the fifth. Wicks continued to dominate with 4 1/3 impressive innings. He allowed the lone run of the game for the Cubs but struck out seven batters without allowing a walk. Busch took it upon himself to extend the Cubs' lead in the top half of the sixth. His second homer of the spring made things 2-0 and proved to be the game-winning run. Michael Busch - Chicago Cubs (2)* pic.twitter.com/QSGZqPMACZ It was in that inning when Texas finally broke through, and it came against Wicks. A one-out single from Andrew Knapp started all of that off, but with two outs, the Cubs gifted the Rangers that run, as a fielding error allowed Knapp to score and cut the Cubs' lead in half, 2-1. That would be as close as the Rangers would get, as Wicks finished strong before Cam Sanders shut things down in the ninth. The best way to make up for a costly mistake in the field is having your offense do the job, as Chase Strumpf broke out of a prolonged slump by taking former Cub Jonathan Holder deep to make things 3-1. Bye bye baseball 👋 pic.twitter.com/5DIIqDGLq3 A Jacob Wetzel walk and Liam Spence single put a pair of runners on with two outs, but no further damage would come from that rally. Texas wasn't as fortunate in the eighth as the Cubs offense continued to do damage against the Rangers pen. This time, Jake Latz was on the mound as a two-out rally did the damage. Bote started that with a single, while a Strumpf walk kept things alive. That was followed by a pair of RBI singles by Matt Mervis and Canario as the Cubs opened up a 5-1 lead. Those would be the final runs of the game for either side as the pitching for the Cubs finished things off to lift them to another win. Jordan Wicks struck out 7 batters in 4.1 innings of work today! pic.twitter.com/jPOWpw7C49 After a successful weekend that saw the Cubs go 3-1, Chicago will now get a rare off day as they get to enjoy Monday off before returning to action on Tuesday. The Cubs had 14 hits, with Canario leading the way with three hits and an RBI. Bote and Busch added multi-hit efforts, while seven others had one hit. Sundays are for [W]s 👏 Cubs win!
Busch: 2-for-3, 2B, HR, RBI
Canario: 3-for-5, 3B, RBI, R
Strumpf: HR, RBI, BB pic.twitter.com/oCRnlDJjVj
Final: #Cubs 5, Rangers 1. pic.twitter.com/h6KE88FJCm
