Let’s recap today’s titanic struggle….
FINAL
Chicago 4
Cincinnati 1
W: R. Dempster (5-5)
L: B. Arroyo (4-6)
S: C. Marmol (11)
BOX SCORE
POSITIVES
–Not much to say here. Jay Bruce reached twice, including a run-scoring single in the third that gave the Reds a short-lived lead. Paul Janish had a triple later in the game, and a couple of sterling defensive plays.
–The bullpen of Bray, Arredondo, Ondrusek, and Cordero held the Cubs scoreless over the final 2.2 innings.
NEGATIVES
–The offense was pretty bad: only four hits, of which three were singles.
–I mentioned Janish’s fine defense above, but he also committed his sixth error of the year today.
–Fred Lewis was 0-4. I remain a proponent of using Lewis in a LF platoon, but he isn’t doing himself any favors. On the season, Lewis is now hitting .224/.257/.299. That’s Willy Taveras territory.
NOT-SO-RANDOM THOUGHTS
–While it wasn’t a great outing for Bronson Arroyo, it was adequate, as he kept the Reds into the game. Arroyo pitched into the seventh, going 6.1 innings, giving up three earned runs on eight hits and a walk.
–Yeah, it’s bad for the Cubs to snap an eight-game losing streak against the good guys, but it’s even worse when Ryan Dempster is the pitcher of record.
–Scott Rolen missed his fourth straight start with a viral infection in his throat. Ewww.
–It was a 5-4 homestand. Could have been better, could have been worse. Up next: the dreaded west coast road trip!