Outman ousts Cubs with two-homer game |
CHICAGO - Prior to the Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers (10-10) at Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs (11-7) were put in a tough spot. That is because the starting pitcher for the game Jameson Taillon, hit the IL with a groin strain, leaving the Cubs in a bind to find an emergency starter.
This is why teams try to acquire as much starter depth as possible, and Javier Assad got the call to make the start. Knowing that Assad would be on a 60-pitch limit and having that off day in hand on Monday, the Cubs won't need a No. 5 starter for about a week after this, so there will be some flexibility. Assad wasn't great, but he wasn't terrible, allowing two runs in three innings of work while striking out three. Both runs allowed came on solo homers as these two teams were locked into another tight game. That was until the ninth inning when Michael Fulmer struggled for the second time in as many outings against this Dodgers lineup. Los Angeles would make him pay as James Outman took Fulmer deep for the Grand Slam in the ninth, which propelled the Dodgers to the 6-2 win. It was the second homer of the night for Outman, who finished with five RBIs. Knowing that Assad was on a pitch count and that the bullpen would be counted on a ton, the Cubs were hoping to strike fast against Michael Grove, who came into the game sporting an ERA of 9.00. Don't let that number fool you. Grove has been looking much better lately and faced the Cubs on Saturday, allowing just a Patrick Wisdom solo shot in five innings. Grove was neither impressive nor terrible as he did what he needed to do to keep the Cubs hitters off balance. It helps when Max Muncy can give you an early lead as his second-inning leadoff homer put the Dodgers in front 1-0. Muncy has eight homers on the season as he continues his fantastic start to the 2023 campaign. Assad continued to struggle in the second, walking David Peralta and then allowing a two-out single to Luke Williams before finally escaping without further damage. Like in the top half of the second, it was the long ball that brought home a run with Cody Bellinger going deep for the second time against his former team and brought things back to even 1-1. A 420 foot home run for Cody Bellinger to tie it up against the Dodgers! 💥
The long ball continued to be the difference in the third, with Outman connecting for his first of two homers in the game to put the Dodgers back in front 2-1. It was in the bottom of the third when the Cubs had a chance to not only tie the game, but a golden opportunity to break things open. A one-out walk from Dansby Swanson started things off, but it was the two-out single from Seiya Suzuki and a hit-by-pitch to Bellinger that loaded the bases. Looking for another huge hit, Wisdom was unable to cash in as Grove pitched out of trouble to keep the lead. Grove wouldn't be as lucky in the bottom of the fourth as the bottom of the Cubs order looked to set the table. With Eric Hosmer starting things off with a walk and Trey Mancini following that up with a double, the Cubs had runners on second and third and no outs. Two batters later saw Phil Bickford enter the game as Grove left with an undisclosed injury. Bickford was greeted by Nico Hoerner, who promptly grounded one into right field for an RBI single that made things 2-2. Mancini was thrown out at home on the play, as the Cubs could have had another bases-loaded situation later in the inning. With Grove and Assad out of the game by the time the fifth inning rolled in, the game became a battle of whose bullpen was better. Bickford did his part during his outing, but after a shaky inning from Adbert Alzolay in the fourth, Brandon Hughes took over and completely dominated the Dodgers lineup. Making just his second appearance this season, Hughes was impressive as he gave David Ross a pair of scoreless frames with four punchouts. The Cubs pen continued to post zeros, with Michael Rucker and Brad Boxberger taking care of the next two frames to keep the Dodgers bats in check. The problem was seeing Justin Bruihl and Yency Almonte do the same as the game shifted to the ninth, tied 2-2. That was when Michael Fulmer was called upon, whose last inning against the Dodgers didn't go as planned. With the Cubs coming off their 5-1 road trip, you can point to the lone loss falling on Fulmer as he allowed Peralta to rip a two-out, two-run single to right and walked off the Cubs. Those two faced off again to start the ninth, with Peralta winning the battle with another single. That was followed by a Miguel Vargas single, and the Dodgers were in business. Looking for a double play to end the inning, Jason Heyward came to the plate and was an ideal candidate. To his credit, Heyward put forth a great at-bat, fouling off several pitches and then showing a terrific eye as he worked a walk to load the bases. Fulmer didn't have his best stuff, but he was only one pitch away from getting out of the inning unharmed. The problem was all it took was one pitch for this game to be over as Fulmer hung a slider to Outman, and he took care of the rest by crushing it over the right field fence for the grand slam to give the Dodgers a 6-2 lead. JAMES OUTMAN IS THAT GUY. pic.twitter.com/CIBt6ZmY7m Fulmer has allowed seven runs this season, but six have come against the Dodgers. That grand slam sucked all the life out of Chicago as Brusdar Graterol retired the side in order in the ninth with a pair of strikeouts to give the Dodgers the series-opening win. Mancini led the way for the Cubs with two hits as he desperately needed a positive showing at the plate. The Cubs had four other players pick up one hit in the loss. These same two teams will be on the field Friday afternoon when lefties Julio Urias and Drew Smyly get set to battle for the second time in a week. Smyly won round one last Sunday, pitching into the sixth in the Cubs 3-2 victory.
(via @Cubs)pic.twitter.com/7dUidqvUQq
