Cubs’ rally falls short
Scwarber’s check swing leaves 2 men in scoring position in 9th inning
CHICAGO — Zack Cozart broke out of a slump with three hits and Cody Allen wiggled out of a jam in the ninth inning, helping the Los Angeles Angels top the Chicago Cubs 6-5 on Saturday.
Los Angeles won for the seventh time in its last eight games. Ty Buttrey earned his first major league win in his 23rd appearance, and Tommy La Stella reached four times against his former team.
Allen struck out Daniel Descalso with two runners on in the eighth, and then closed it out for his fourth save. The Cubs had runners on second and third after left fielder Brian Goodwin dropped Jason Heyward’s sinking sacrifice fly, but Allen struck out Willson Contreras and Kyle Schwarber to end the game.
Schwarber threw his batting helmet down and had to be restrained by third base coach
Will Venable after third base umpire Gabe Morales ruled he went around on his check swing on strike three. Manager Joe Maddon then continued the argument as the umpires made their way off the field.
Playing without Mike Trout once again because of a groin injury, the Angels stopped a five-game road slide. Trout is receiving treatment in Southern California and could rejoin the team during its next series in Texas.
Cozart went 1 for 33 in his first 13 games this season. But he hit an RBI single in Los Angeles’ three-run second and singled again in the fourth and eighth.
Javier Baez hit two RBI doubles for Chicago, which had won three of four. Kyle Hendricks (0-3) allowed three runs, two earned, and six hits in five innings in his third consecutive loss to begin the year.
Baez’s second run-scoring double trimmed Los Angeles’ lead to 3-2 in the fifth. But Buttrey (1-0) replaced Chris Stratton and retired Heyward on a grounder to first, ending the inning.
The Angels added two more in the sixth on basesloaded walks for pinchhitter Albert Pujols and Kole Calhoun, and Peter Bourjos hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
The Cubs got two back on Mark Zagunis’ single in the bottom half of the eighth, but Allen fanned Descalso to end the inning.