Unfriendly confines for rare Jays visit
It was a spectacular day to be a Toronto Blue Jays fan at Wrigley Field on Friday, if for no other reason than the significance of the experience.
The sun was shining, the team arrived in good form and for the first time in a dozen years, the Jays paid a visit to the 103-yearold baseball shrine.
After a handful of middle innings, when it looked like the highlight would be watching practice manoeuvres for this weekend’s Chicago Air and Water Show, the Jays made things rather interesting.
A three-run eighth inning wasn’t enough, however, as the Cubs rode an early 5-1 lead and a strong outing from starter Jake Arrieta to a 7-4 win.
Making their first visit to the treasure on Chicago’s North Side since 2005, the Jays faced the reigning World Series champs and a new big-league experience for many in the roster. As they climbed out of the cramped visitor’s dugout, several players took long looks at the ivy that clings to the outfield walls and the famed bleachers just behind.
For Jays fans, it was a rare chance to see their team in a historic venue. But they’ll have to wait for a win after the Cubs survived the late Jays rally and pulled away with a two-run Javier Baez homer in the eighth.
The Cubs chipped away at Jays starter J.A. Happ — and took advantage of some sloppy defensive play — to cruise to a relatively easy victory.
Playing at Wrigley was never going to be easy, and there will be no break Saturday when Toronto’s Nick Tepesch gets another spot start, facing Cubs lefty Jose Quintana.
The Cubs got on the board in the second when Happ didn’t cover first on a weak grounder from Jason Heyward, allowing the first run to cross. The next batter, Baez, deposited a bloop single in front of Jose Bautista in right field to give the Cubs the 2-1 lead. Another bloop single — this one from Alberto Almora Jr. — scored another run.
The Cubs added two more in the fifth when an Anthony Rizzo single drove in a pair to increase the lead to four. Though the Cubs weren’t as explosive as they can be, Jays pitchers had allowed three earned runs or less in seven of their previous eight games.
The Jays pulled to within two in the eighth when a Kevin Pillar double scored Justin Smoak and Ryan Goins muscled a two-out single to score two more.
Prospects of a comeback were short-lived, as Baez hammered a Tim Mayza offering in the bottom of the eighth that just missed escaping the park deep in left field.