To use a tired cliché, that escalated quickly.
Top Play (WPA): Jake Arrieta dispatched the Pittsburgh Pirates quickly in the bottom of the first inning, bringing the Cubs to bat against Pittsburgh left-hander Francisco Liriano in the bottom half. They wasted no time. Dexter Fowler singled on a ball that ricocheted off the third base bag on the first pitch of the game from Liriano (.036), and before he could even compose his thoughts he was watching number-two-hitter-on-the-best-team-in-baseball-Matt-Szczur drill his second pitch of the game into the left field bleachers for a two-run home run (.159). It put the Cubs up 2-0 early, and that’s really all they would need.
Bottom Play (WPA): The sixth inning was a huge moment in this game, and it just so happened to produce the bottom play as well. After Liriano led off the inning against Arrieta with a flyout, John Jaso got on via hit-by-pitch and Gregory Polanco and Andrew McCutchen walked to load the bases. David Freese stepped up to the plate and worked a 3-0 count to the Cubs ace, and it looked like a potential turning point in the game. But Arrieta, being the monstrous tormenter of the Pirates that he is, wouldn’t allow them to score. He worked his way back and struck out Freese swinging (-.107), then froze Matt Joyce on a 3-2 pitch (-.106) to end the threat and keep the score at 2-0.
It was Arrieta’s last pitch of the game, which was yet another stellar outing for him. He ran into trouble in only two innings, wiggling out of the sixth inning jam and a first-and-third, nobody out pickle in the third inning as well. On the day, Arrieta tossed 112 pitches in six innings, giving up two hits, three walks, zero runs, and striking out 11 Pirates. Not a bad day for Mr. Arrieta and his Cubs, who would eventually win the eventful Friday afternoon tilt, 6-0.
Key Moment: With the Cubs up 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth, rookie outfielder Albert Almora Jr. stepped up to the plate with two outs and runners on first and second. The game marked his Wrigley Field debut, and man, he would not disappoint. Almora took the first three pitches outside the zone, took a strike, and then lined the 3-1 pitch into center field for a run-scoring double to make the score 4-0.
It was quite the day for Almora, who finished 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, and two runs batted in.
As a bonus key moment, because this one’s funny and we like funny things, we were treated to ‘Szczur dupes Polanco, part deux’. If you’ll recall, the Cubs won a game last season when Szczur hit a shallow fly ball to right field that Polanco appeared to have under control—until he lost his footing, letting the ball drop and the Cubs win the game. Szczur produced a déjà vu moment in the seventh inning, hitting a shallow fly ball in between Polanco in right and McCutchen in center. It dropped harmlessly between both players, with Polanco again losing his footing and tumbling to the ground. Baseball is weird.
Trend to Watch: Szczur has drastically improved his hitting against right-handed pitchers, and it might make a difference in his projection going forward. Coming into 2016, he was viewed by most as a fringe outfielder that can’t hit right-handers but could take a spot start against lefties. But this season, in limited action he’s been really good against right-handed pitchers. In 37 plate appearances, he’s hitting .371/.405/.486 against righties with a home run. If he can continue the improvement, he’ll find the discussion about his place on the roster far less intense next spring.
Up Next: The Cubs continue their six-game homestand with two more against the Pirates, seeing Jon Niese (4.60 ERA/5.24 FIP/5.68 DRA) face off against Jon Lester (1.89/2.88/3.52) tomorrow and rookie Jameson Taillon (1.83/3.81/4.60) take the mound against Kyle Hendricks (3.05/). The Cubs will have three against the St. Louis Cardinals beginning Monday and will look to bury their opponents in the division a bit more before embarking on an 11-game road trip. Tomorrow’s game is a nighttime affair, beginning at 7:00pm and airing on FOX.
Lead photo courtesy Matt Marton—USA Today Sports