Cubs can’t find championship form
Streaking Rockies pound slumping World Series champs as rookie hurler Hoffman improves to 4-0
Mark Reynolds and Charlie Blackmon homered, rookie Jeff Hoffman pitched neatly into the seventh inning and the visiting Colorado Rockies won their seventh straight game, beating the Chicago Cubs 9-1 Saturday.
The Rockies have their longest winning streak since 2011.
The Cubs lost their fourth in a row, dropping the World Series champions to 30-31.
Reynolds had four hits, including his 17th homer, and Nolan Arenado had a three-run double during a five-run ninth inning. The Rockies, who have the best record in the NL, improved to 24-10 on the road.
One of four rookies in the Rockies’ rotation, the 24-year-old Hoffman (4-0) allowed one run and struck out eight in 6 1/3 innings. Four Colorado relievers kept Chicago scoreless the rest of the way.
Cubs starter Eddie Butler (3-2) pitched five innings and gave up three runs on six hits in his first outing against his former team.
Willson Contreras drove in the only run for Chicago, now sliding after a five-game winning streak.
Hoffman was one of four players the Rockies acquired from Toronto in a July 2015 trade that sent All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to the Blue Jays.
MARLINS STAR STANTON LEAVES WITH BRUISED WRIST
Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton left the game in Pittsburgh with a bruised right wrist after being hit by a pitch.
Stanton was struck in the first inning by a pitch from Trevor Williams. Stanton made his way to first base, but after consultation with the team trainer, he was replaced by Ichiro Suzuki.
Stanton was the second batter of the game. X-rays were negative and Stanton was listed as day to day. The star outfielder hit a 449-foot home run on Friday night against the Pirates. He has 16 homers this season. Stanton missed the last month and half of 2016 with a groin strain.
CHAPMAN TAKES PART IN SIMULATED GAME
New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman struck out three and walked one in one inning during his first simulated game since going on the 10-day disabled list in mid-May because of a left shoulder injury.
Chapman threw 18 pitches against minor leaguers Saturday at the Yankees’ complex in Tampa, Fla. The hard-throwing lefty hasn’t pitched in a game since May 12 because of what Yankees manager Joe Girardi has called tendinitis and bursitis in the shoulder.
Girardi said Chapman reached 98 m.p.h. with his fastball, and will pitch one inning Tuesday in a Class A rehab outing. Girardi said he thought Chapman was scheduled to throw an inning at Double-A Trenton on Friday.
After that, “hopefully he joins us,” Girardi said.
Chapman is 1-0 with seven saves and a 3.55 ERA in 14 games this season.
HOUSTON ACE WON’T THROW FOR ABOUT A WEEK
Houston ace Dallas Keuchel won’t begin throwing again for about a week as he recovers from neck discomfort that’s landed him on the disabled list for the second time this season.
Keuchel was scratched from his start on Wednesday at Kansas City and placed on the 10-day disabled list a day later, a move retroactive to June 5. It’s the same problem that put him on the disabled list earlier and caused him to miss one start.
Keuchel has been one of the best pitchers in the majors this season, posting a 9-0 record and a 1.67 ERA, both MLB bests. His return to form this season after struggling last year has helped the Astros to the best record in the majors.
He said the pain in his neck varies from a dull ache to a more sharp pain when he pitches. Keuchel acknowledged that he probably came back a bit too quickly from his first stint on the disabled list. But at the time he thought he had improved enough to return.
He said Saturday that he had been fighting through a virus for the past week that had caused him to lose about 10 pounds, which made it more difficult to deal with his neck issue.