Giants staved off several comeback efforts by the relentless Cubs to force Game 3 of the 37+ Division championship series, which will be played at 6 p.m. Thurs. at the Bob in Scotia.
With all the offense mixed in with walks and a couple of errors by both teams, it was a heads-up play by the Giants defense to end the game.
In the top of the 7th, the Cubs had a run in and runner on second with two outs and the score 11-9. The Cubs leadoff hitter, Bryce Cutler, hits a grounder in the hole between short and third. Mike Hicks, knowing he can't get the speedy Cutler at first, kept his eye on the runner heading to third. The runner, probably expecting Hicks to throw to first, turned the corner at third, and Hicks fired a strike to Dick Stark to pick the runner off, saving the win for Steve Lounello and the Giants.
Lounello pitched on guts and heart all night with a sore shoulder throughout before giving way to Wayne Philips with two outs and two on in the 7th. Steve kept the Cubs in check till the 6th when the Cubs cut their 9-3 deficit to 9-8, mostly created by 4 walks and a hit batsman. But he refused to come out, got the final out and headed to the 7th.
In the bottom of the 6th, Hicks led off with a single, and moved to second when Lounello walked. After one out, Philips' grounder was mishandled, and the Giants took advantage. After out No. 2, Dan Maguire singled home two runs to give the Giants an 11-8 lead.
Even with those key plays, perhaps the biggest inning of the game was the Giants bottom half of the 5th. With two outs and Jimmy Keegan on second with a long double to left-center, the Giants loaded the bases on walks to Mario Arduini and Maguire. Billy Smith then walked to force in a run, and leadoff hitter Carlos Llera launched a pitch to left-center. The ball hit the very top of the fence and bounced over for a grand slam to give the Giants a 9-3 lead.
But the Cubs, coming off a 4-run 8th to win Game 1, 8-7, answered with a 5-spot in the top of the 6th, but the Giants grit and resolve surfaced once again to force Game 3.
Lounello and Keegan each doubled in the first to give the Giants a 2-0 lead. After the Cubs cut it to 2-1 on a TJ Scorsone RBI single in the top of the 2nd, Maguire was hit by a pitch with one out in the bottom half of the inning. Carlos, Dick Stark and Hicks then each singled to give the Giants a 4-1 lead. Cubs got two in the top of the 5th to make it 4-3 before the Giants answered with that 5-spot.
Jerry Solomon caught the entire game with Billy Smith on the defensive shelf with tendonitis in the elbow, spurs in the shoulder, and a possible tear in the rotator - all in his throwing arm. Solomon was stellar and kept everything in front of him.
For the Cubs, TJ Scorsone singled three times, walked and scored twice. Cutler proves why he is one of the best, if not the best, leadoff hitters in the league. He walked three times, had two singles and scored twice.
For the Cubs, Joe Fitzgerald Jim Walter and Ron Massaroni each had two hits. The Cubs stranded 9 runns; the Giants 7.
Bad news for the Cubs as well. Tom Maney pulled a muscle in the first inning chasing a line drive by Steve Lounello down the right-field line and had to leave the game. Tom and his brother Shaun both on the DL now. The series isn't the same for me without my dart-playing buddies.
And thanx to those of you who showed to watch. Many Marlins and several others hoping to see some good baseball and enjoy the comaraderie.
