Counsell is enjoying this more than the scoreboard suggests
Five losses in seven games. Craig Counsell still says he cannot wait to get to the ballpark.
“These are the fun games,” the Chicago manager said Sunday, after a 4-3 defeat at home to Pittsburgh. “I want to get to the park and see what happens. Saturday was fun, and today we just could not get that one thing to go our way, but we come right back out tomorrow. This is the fun time of the season.”
He has reason to enjoy it. He also has reason to watch the out-of-town board. Earlier Sunday the Philadelphia Phillies beat Atlanta 9-4, which pulled them level with the Cubs at 83-67 and turned the first National League wild-card spot into a shared address.
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Wrigley refused to cooperate
Chicago did claw their way back into Sunday’s game. Miguel Amaya went deep for two, the deficit shrank, and then the wind took over. Three drives died on the warning track.
“Offensively, we were just not able to create anything today,” Counsell said. “Some days, the winds play for you and some days they don’t. We can be mad about it, but there is nothing we can do about it.”
Matthew Boyd took the loss and got the scoreboard-watching question. “You are aware of it, but it doesn’t change what you do once you are on the field,” the left-hander said. “It is a privilege to be in the position we are in. Our job as players is to play our best baseball. The opponent doesn’t really matter.”
Peterson against Lopez on Monday night
The opponent matters tonight. Atlanta arrive at 88-62, five games clear of Philadelphia at the top of the NL East, for the first of three at Wrigley Field.
Chicago hand the ball to David Peterson (7-8, 5.28 ERA), acquired from the New York Mets in June and without a win since he beat Washington on Aug. 12. The Cubs have lost his last four starts. His career record against Atlanta offers no comfort either: 3-5 with a 5.54 ERA across 14 appearances.
Atlanta counter with Reynaldo Lopez (4-4, 4.13), having pushed AJ Smith-Shawver back to Wednesday. Lopez returned last Wednesday after 34 games out with left knee inflammation and gave up six runs over 4 2/3 innings against Tampa Bay. Career numbers against the Cubs show a different pitcher: 3-1, a 3.25 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings.
Albies rewrites a 66-year-old franchise mark
One Atlanta number sits outside the playoff race entirely. Ozzie Albies collected his 14th sacrifice fly of the season on Saturday. The franchise record had belonged to Hank Aaron and Del Crandall, who hit 12 each in 1960.
“I would have never guessed that Ozzie would set the record for sac flies, just because he’s not a guy that hits long fly balls and that type of thing,” manager Walt Weiss said. “But I think in those situations, that’s part of his approach, is to get something that he can lift and get that run in. And that’s what you want.”
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