Game 40 Recap: Cubs 8 Giants 1

So much news. If only it was all good…

Top Play (WPA): The Cubs’ big inning came early when they shelled Jake Peavy for a five spot in the second. Consecutive singles from Soler and Montero had the Cubs in business with no outs. Baez nearly legged out a bunt hit, but had to settle for the sacrifice, and Arrieta plated the game’s first run with a bloop single to center. After Fowler walked to load the bases, La Stella drilled a line drive off the right field wall. An unexpected carom straight to Hunter Pence and some perplexing base running left La Stella on first, Fowler at third, and Arrieta caught off base, with only Montero able to cross home. Kris Bryant strode to the plate and ensured the blunder would be quickly forgotten with his two-out, three-run blast to left, his eighth home run on the year (+0.181). Down five runs with only five outs recorded, Peavy exited the game, leaving the Giants’ bullpen with a long night ahead.

Bottom Play (WPA): The Giants’ best chance to get back in the game came in the third inning, in which Arrieta gave up three of his four hits on the outing. Pagan singled and subsequently stole second, giving Panik a two-out RBI chance. His single to right put the Giants on the board with momentum seeming to swing in their direction (-0.038). Arrieta looked uncomfortably out of rhythm, giving up another single to Matt Duffy in front of Buster Posey. Posey worked a long count until finally crushing one to left with men on first and third, but Jorge Soler ended the threat with an impressive catch off the padding.

Key Moment: Undoubtedly, the key moment of this one was the only dark cloud on the night that should have had the lighthearted, celebratory feeling an Arrieta-with-extraneous-run-support game deserves. But, alas, that was not to be. In the Giants’ first at-bat, Jason Heyward saved Arrieta from serving up a leadoff triple with a spectacular grab. Unfortunately, his selfless momentum carried him twisting awkwardly into the wall, causing him to leave the game with an apparent right torso/abdominal injury. As of tonight, the extent of the injury is unknown, but a DL stint is certainly a possibility. Heyward is irreplaceable in right field, but if he misses time, expect to see Bryant give it a go, as he did the remainder of tonight’s game. Baez and La Stella will each get more opportunities at third, and look for Matt Szczur to rejoin the squad from his rehab assignment ASAP.

Trend to Watch: It probably should be noted that Arrieta once again appeared to need a few innings to settle in, and perhaps never achieved the dominant command he strives for in this start. He was uncharacteristically at 50 pitches through three innings, making his eventual completion of seven innings far from certain. As Maddon has admitted, “He’s not been as sharp as he can be…There’s another level of sharpness for him…He’s still doing a pretty good job.” Yes, now with an 8-0 record and an ERA that has to squint to see 2.00 in the distance, he’s doing okay.

Since Arrieta’s degree of excellence mattered not at all in this game, a happier, more hopeful trend emerged: Jorge Soler easily had his best performance of the season, coming up big on both sides of the ball. Two very nice defensive plays complimented a much improved offensive outing. He went two for four, including the latter jack of back-to-back home runs in the Cubs’ pile-on eighth inning. With roster uncertainty looming in the wake of the latest injury, this would be a fantastic time for Soler’s turnaround to arrive.

Coming Next: Jon Lester starts game two of the weekend series on the Bay. Cubs look to continue their hot hitting against a struggling Matt Cain and nab two wins before Sunday’s showdown with the miserly Madison Bumgarner. Another night against the Giants’ bull pen would certainly boost the Cubs’ chances. Saturday’s first pitch is at 6:15pm CT on Fox.

Lead photo courtesy Jeff Hanisch—USA Today Sports.