BREWERS 5, CUBS 3(10)
Cubs still seeking right mix for their lineup, bullpen
Keston Hiura hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning as the Brewers rallied past Craig Kimbrel and the Cubs.
MILWAUKEE — Robel Garcia became this season’s ninth leadoff hitter for a Cubs team fighting to regain first place in a tight National League Central.
Garcia’s placement atop the order was the latest lineup by manager Joe Maddon, who remains baffled by Cubs’ 19-30 road record that includes 11 one-run losses. The latest was Friday night’s 3-2 loss to the Brewers at Miller Park.
“Bipolar,” Maddon said Saturday night of the Cubs’ homeroad disparity. “I don’t have any good solid explanation. The method is the same, the guys are the same, is it because other teams are better at home? I don’t know.
“It’s been difficult to wrap our minds around it because I know we’re better than that, but we haven’t been.”
That has led to an increasing sense of urgency from Maddon and the Cubs’ front office, which continues to look for hitting and bullpen upgrades before Wednesday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline.
The week started with demotions to Triple-A Iowa for reliever Carl Edwards Jr. and infielder Addison Russell – who both played instrumental roles in the Cubs’ 2016 World Series championship.
The Cubs promoted outfielder Ian Happ from Iowa and acquired Derek Holland from the Giants to provide much-needed left-handed relief depth.
But batting Willson Contreras and Garcia leadoff in consecutive games with the division lead at stake illustrates the Cubs’ desperation to spark their offense.
“I’m trying to do different things and hope we can unearth something,” Maddon said one night after the Cubs were no-hit for five innings by the Brewers’ Gio Gonzalez and relied on a two-run homer by David Bote for their scoring.
Moving Garcia to the leadoff spot resulted in Kyle Schwarber, who had a .172 batting average and .274 on-base percentage in July going into Saturday’s game, dropping from first to eighth in the lineup.
“I tried to stay with a static lineup as much as I could, but it doesn’t seem to want to gain any traction so I’ll attempt to be a little more creative,” Maddon said.
Maddon didn’t rule out the possibility of Ben Zobrist returning to the top of the order if he completes his minor-league assignment next month.
“It’s possible, but we got to watch him. He’s been sitting for a bit. When he gets back, a lot of these guys have been playing all year. However, he’ll feel refreshed. And the thing is he’s not coming back from an injury, either, which I think is pertinent.”
In the meantime, the Cubs will try to survive as they continue to retool their lineup, bullpen and even their rotation.
Maddon defended his decision to pull Kyle Hendricks after five innings and 90 pitches Friday. Hendricks will throw on his normal four days of rest when he makes his next start Wednesday night against the Cardinals. Maddon said he decided to pull Hendricks because his pitch count was getting high and the Brewers’ lineup was stacked with lefthanded hitters leading off the sixth.
Craig Counsell was aware Kyle Ryan was the Cubs’ only available left-hander, so the Brewers manager felt confident he could save pinch-hitter Ben Gamel for a late-inning situation. That surfaced in the eighth, when Gamel delivered the game-winning tworun single off Pedro Strop.
“They used Ryan early, so we knew Ben would get an at-bat against right-handed pitching,” Counsell said. “It worked out well.”
Counsell didn’t seem fazed that the Cubs realigned their rotation so left-hander Jose Quintana could pitch Sunday’s series finale on an extra day of rest. Quintana will start next weekend against the Brewers at Wrigley Field as well.
Quintana is 6-4 lifetime with a 2.63 ERA in 13 career starts against the Brewers. He had a 1.55 ERA in his first six starts against the Brewers at Miller Park before he was tagged for eight runs in three innings April 5.
“When we play the Cubs, I assume we’re going to face Quintana and another lefty,” Counsell said. “You don’t always get a chance to manipulate your rotation with what you hope are the best matchups.”