Paredes, Amaya clutch in Cubs win over Marlins |
MIAMI - There are some series that you need to figure out a way to get a sweep, and for the Chicago Cubs (64-65) this is one of those series as they kicked off a nine-game road trip in Miami at Loan Depot Park on Friday night. First on the docket is the NL-Worst Miami Marlins (46-82), who continue to endure a rough season.
However, despite their record, Miami is one of those teams that has historically given the Cubs some problems, and this is what you call a trap series that shouldn't be taken lightly. Even with things being as bad as they have been for the Marlins, this was a 3-3 game until late as Miami continued to give the Cubs fits. Then came the biggest hit of the night, when Isaac Paredes came through with arguably his biggest hit since joining the Cubs. His eighth inning RBI double put Chicago in front for good before tacking on two more runs in the ninth to secure the 6-3 win. This is another one of those games where Kyle Hendricks gave the Cubs all they could ask for two times through the order before starting to run out of gas the third time through. Still, the professor kept his team in the game, giving the Cubs 4 2/3 innings of three-run, seven-hit ball. He walked two and didn't strike out a man, as he wasn't as sharp as he would've liked. Compare that to his opponent Max Meyer, and the exact opposite could be said. Meyer delivered one of his better starts of the season by going six innings and allowing just three runs. The best way to get to Hendricks is to get to him early, which the Marlins did in the second inning. With Connor Norby getting things started with a leadoff double, a pair of RBI groundouts gave the Marlins an early 1-0 lead, as Derek Hill delivered the game's first run. Hendricks managed to keep Miami from tacking on during that inning, only to have the Cubs provide the fireworks in the top half of the third. In particular, Pete Crow-Armstrong not only led off the inning with an extra-base hit but delivered his first career inside-the-park homer to tie things up and bring plenty of life into the dugout. PCA just ran from home to home in 14 seconds. pic.twitter.com/tYLhntYjlY That hit was followed by a Miguel Amaya single and another homer by Ian Happ as the Cubs roared back to take a 3-1 lead. Ian Happ - Chicago Cubs (23) Seiya Suzuki managed to reach with a double later in the inning, but after the Cubs failed to bring him home, it would be up to the pitching as those were the only runs until the final innings. Pitching with the lead for the first time, Hendricks was hoping to settle in on the mound, but after walking Vidal Brujan to put another runner on base, it was the Marlins turn to capitalize as a pair of two-out singles, including one from Jonah Bride pushed home another run to make this a 3-2 game. Two innings later, the same issue as the Marlins loaded the bases against Hendricks with two outs before he was lifted for Tyson Miller. Things didn't start the way Miller had planned them to as he walked the first batter he faced to push home the tying run before taking care of things the rest of the way. That has been the case for the Cubs bullpen for a while now, and with Miller, Drew Smyly, Porter Hodge, and Jorge Lopez continuing to do their jobs, runs would be challenging to come by for the Marlins. The same could be said about Meyer and the Marlins pitching staff as all three of the Cubs runs up to this point were scored in one inning as things remained 3-3 entering the eighth. Looking to keep it that way was Brett de Geus, who promptly allowed a Suzuki single to begin the inning as the go-ahead run was on base. Suzuki reached second on an error before advancing to third on a Cody Bellinger grounder as Paredes came to the plate with a chance to put the Cubs on top. It's no secret that his first month in a Cubs uniform has been rough, as Paredes has gone on record to say he feels lost at the plate. Sometimes all it takes to change that is one big hit, and with his go-ahead RBI double in the eighth, perhaps this is the hit that gets him back on track as the Cubs went back on top 4-3. Chicago would tack on two more runs in the ninth, with Amaya belting another homer to push the lead to 6-3, and Lopez set to come on for the save. Miguel Amaya - Chicago Cubs (7) Expected to be the closer the rest of the way, Lopez has been about as dominant as anyone in the game since joining the Cubs, and with two strikeouts and another perfect inning, Lopez locked down his second save with the Cubs to cap off the 6-3 win. Chicago played well offensively, as they picked up 10 hits in the victory. Eight of those hits came from four multi-hit games as Crow-Armstrong, Amaya, Suzuki and Happ delivered multiple hits. Brought the heat tonight. 🔥
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Crow-Armstrong: 2 for 3, HR, BB, RBI, 2 R
Amaya: 2 for 4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
Happ: 2 for 5, HR, 2 RBI, R pic.twitter.com/EjtcputSBG
