Chicago Cubs third base coach Willie Harris (33) and Patrick Wisdom (16) get a leg up after Wisdom’s top of the fifth inning home run against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Fri Jan 29, 2022 (AP News photo)

Chicago (41-58). 4. 6. 0

San Francisco (49-51). 2 13. 1

Friday, July 29, 2022

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–The season’s records for Friday’s starting hurlers gave some hope for a pitcher’s duel. As could be expected when San Francisco Giants pitcher Alex Cobb is scheduled to start, the Giants games notes remind us that although “his ERA is ccurrently 4.26, his ERA is 2.88 … that is in the top 14 percent of the MLB,” which prompts the suspicion that perhaps the relevant statistic is Cobb’s age and not his, (for “expected” ERA).

In any case, Friday the 10 year veteran began the day at 3-4, and the aforementioned 4.26. His best game came on July 16 when he dominated Milwaukee here at Oracle Park, allowing only one run, and that unearned, in 7-1/3 inning of work.

The extent of his improvement since his recovery from a shoulder inflammation was still to be determined. Cobb’s progress, on the basis of tonight’s activity, has been more than satisfactory. When he left the game in the top of the seventh, Giants were trailing, 1-0, but Cobb had been terrific.

There was a runner on first, Nico Hoerner, who had just received the only base on balls Cobb had issued all night. Cobb had thrown 90 pitches, 55 of which were counted as strikes. The one tally he had surrendered was earned and came on a home run that was one of the only three hits charged to him, one of which could easily have been scored as an error by Jason Vosler. He reduced his ERA to 4.06, but he still took the loss, leaving him at 3-5.

His opposite number for the visiting Chicago Cubs, Marcus Stroman, stood at 2-5, 4.38 at game time. In his last outing, six days ago in Philadelphia, he held the Phllies to one run on five hits and a walk over six innings, leaving with a no decision.

Like Cobb, he has been hampered by injuries. In his two previous starts he had posted an ERA (real not expected) of 1.26 over 14-1/3 innings.His performance at Oracle Park this evening consisted of six frames of shutout ball in which he yielded eight safeties and a walk.

He struck out three Giants and threw a total of 95 pitches, 67 going down as strikes and brought his earned run average down to an even 3.00. He got the win, putting his W-L numbers at 3-5.

In the end, the Cubs prevaled in an exciting 4-2 battle.

Before game time, the Giants announced a piece of bad news that put a damper on last night’s sturing 4-2 win over the Cubbies, in which all the breaks had seemed to be in San Francisco’s favor.

Joc Pederson, who had banged his head against the wall leaping in vain to catch Patrick Wisdom’s seventh inning home run, was placed on the seven day IL with a concussion, at least the second he’s received in an MLB game. His roster replacement was Jason Vosler, who started tonight at third, batting in the eighth position.

The teams traded zeroes for four innings until Chicago broke through with a lead off the fifth with a home run by Wisdom, his 19th roundtripper and 50th RBI of the year. It travelled 368 feet, into the left field bleachers and came on a 94mph sinker. It was only the Cubs’ second hit of the contest.

After Cobb walked Hoerner to open the seventh, Dominic Leon relieved him and walked the first two Cubs he faced. Things looked dire, but Leone induced a rally killing 6-4-3 double play by Christopher Morel.

Scott Effross took over for Marcus Stroman after the fans murdered “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” He got two outs after granting a free lead off pass to Yermín Mercedes, hitting for Joey Bart. Wilmer Flores doubled to left, and Brandon Belt drew a full count walk, but the budding rally was nipped when Mike Yastrzemski grounded out to first.

It was John Brebbia on the mound for the orange and black in the top of the eighth. He set the Cubbies down in order.

Mychal Givens was the next hurler to hop on the Windy City carrousel, coming on board to start the home eighth. With one out, LaMonte Wade, Jr. lifted a fly ball to left center that fell for a Texas League double, a good example of why baseball should adopt the concept of a team error.

Austin Slater went to second as a pinch runner, and Vosler went down swinging for the second out, bringing on Austin Wynns, who replaced Bart behind the plate. He struck out swinging, stranding Slater at second, the 12th man San Francisco had left on base in eight innings.

Camilo Doval took over on the mound for the visitors’ ninth. After disposing of Ian Happ on a bounder to the mound, he walked Hoerner on four pitches, and then the roof fell in. Jason Wisdom hit a shot to left that third base umpire Charlie Ramps called fair before it bounced out of play.

The Giants challenged the call, but Jeff Nelson and Mark Wegner in New York let it stand. The rule book double put runners on second and third. Hoerner scored on a little nubber to the mound, and Wisdom followed suit when Alfonso Rivas singled to right, ending Doval’s abortive attempt to hold Chicago in check.

Sam Moll got Morel to hit a soft fly near the right field line that bounced off the heel of Yastrzemski’s glove. It looked like an error, but for some reason it was scored as a hit. Between innings, the scoring error was corrected, and Yastrzemski was charged with an error. Moll got his next two men, but the damage was done.

All that Chicago needed to even the series was for David Robertson, who came on in the bottom of the ninth, to hold the Giants to three runs or less and retire three batters. Tommy La Stella opened the inning with a double to right center, but Luis González flew out to left.

Flores brought the crowd to its feet with a high fly, deep to the left field corner that made it over the fence. All of a sudden, the score was 4-2. Belt singled to left, bringing Yastrzemski to the plate as the potential tying run. The only redemption Yaz got was that Belt moved into scoring position on his ground out to second. David Robertson kept him there by fanning Thairo Estrada to end the game.

The Giants will retire Will Clark’s number Saturday evening. The ceremony will start at 5:00, followed by a 6:05 start with the Cubs Drew Smyly (3-5,3.93) going against the Giants’ Jakob Junis (4-2,2.98)