Giants Rally, But Fall to Cubs as Romo Blows His First Save
Apr 11, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs catcher Welington Castillo (53) is safe at home past the tag of San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28) in the third inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
The Giants had their second-straight comeback win, until Sergio Romo inexplicably decided to blow his first save of the season.
Down 2-0 heading into the ninth, the Giants rallied off three runs: one on an RBI single by Pablo Sandoval, then a two-out, two-run double by Brandon Belt gave them the lead.
However, the Cubs quickly teed off on Romo as he entered to close the game out. Dioner Navorro led off with a home run to tie the game, then a two-out rally ended it. David DeJesus singled, then Starlin Castro scored him with doubled to right, sending Wrigley Field into a frenzy.
It was all Carlos Villanueva on Friday afternoon. He mixed his speeds, had excellent command and in turn, kept the Giants wildly off balance to supply the Cubs with their fourth win of the season.
After surrendering nine runs to the St.Louis Cardinals on Sunday, Wrigley Field’s Friday conditions weren’t ideal for Matt Cain, a fly ball pitcher with a tendency to allow the home run ball on the road.
Despite working extremely hard, Cain allowed just two runs over seven innings. He needed 113 pitches, and he did allow two home runs, one to David DeJesus in the third inning and one to Starlin Castro in the fifth inning.
You’d be foolish not to say that the wind impacted DeJesus’s home run. Hunter Pence, the right fielder, looked to have a beat on the fly ball before the wind took over, pushing the ball roughly two thirds of the way up the bleachers. Castro’s homer probably would’ve found the seats without the infamous wind.
Cain allowed seven hits while issuing just two walks. The Cubs wasted a pair of leadoff doubles. DeJesus smacked Cain’s high fastball down the right field line to lead off the bottom half of the first inning, and former Giant, Nate Schierholtz doubled to lead off the fourth inning. Both were erased by subsequent non-productive ground outs. Still, this required Cain to bare down, simultaneously eating up his pitch count.
The Giants didn’t have much cooking at all before the ninth. Pence and Pagan both started rallies with singles, but Pagan spoiled the Giants first opportunity trying to steal second in the first inning, and, despite successfully stealing second base, the Giants couldn’t plate Pence from second with one out in the fifth inning.
The series is now knotted up at one game apiece, and the Giants and Cubs will wrap things up over the weekend.