Cubs, behind Zambrano, shutout Nats 7-0
After two consecutive wins, the Nationals bats were basically silenced by Carlos Zambrano and two relievers. Zambrano pitched 7 innings of 5-hit ball to earn his 4th win of the season. Michael Wuertz and Jon Lieber worked the 8th and 9th, respectively, to preserve the shutout.
Matt Chico failed to pitch in the 5th inning for the second straight start. Tonight, he gave up 5 earned runs in 4 innings. The loss drops him to 0-5 and the team to 8-17. The Nats look for the series split tomorrow in the series finale.
Post Game
Matt Chico on his recent performance
"I think I'm trying to do a little too much right now. I just have to settle down and let everything happen."
Chad Cordero on his outing tonight
"I felt good, but the scoreboard (radar gun) might have been a little slow tonight. My arm felt good. I was able to throw strikes with my fastball and slider and everything felt good."
Box Score
R H E LOB
Cubs 7 13 2 11
Nats 0 6 0 10
WP-Zambrano (4-1)
LP-Chico (0-5)
Pete McElroy's Nats GameBlog
Platinum Sombrero
I asked around the pressbox and noone seemed to know what the name for 5 strikeouts in one game is called. We were all in agreement that 4 K's in a game is a Golden Sombrero, but what do we call 5? Platinum Sombrero? the answer, according to Wikipedia, is Platinum Sombrero. Anyway, Cubs catcher Geovany Soto struckout 5 times tonight and he will get the Platinum Sombrero.
Shutting 'Em Down
Carlos Zambrano pitched 7 innings of scoreless ball, giving up just 5 hits, 2 walks and striking out 5. He threw a season high 114 pitches, 69 for strikes.
Solid Performance
Chad Cordero came on in relief in the 6th and tossed a scoreless inning. He gave up a 1-out single to Mark DeRosa, but struckout Geovany Soto and Ronny Cedeno looking to end the inning. Since coming off the DL on April 19, Cordero hasn't allowed a run in 4 innings.
Give Him a Han-rahan
Joel Hanrahan pitched two scoreless innings in relief tonight. He gave up 2 hits, 2 walks and struckout 3. This was the first time this season that he didn't allow a run when pitching more than one inning. In his previous 3 games of 2+ innings of work, he gave up 6 earned runs on 7 hits combined and registered a loss.
Pitchers through 4 innings
Matt Chico didn't have his best stuff, again. Tonight, just like his last outing, lasted just 4
innings and gave up 8 hits. The only difference is the two starts, he gave up one less run this time around. Chio equalled his shortest outing of the season He was in trouble from the outset, allowing 3 runs in the first and two more in the second. Joel Hanrahan has come on in relief.
Chico's line: 4 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. 85 pitches, 51 strikes.
Zambrano is tossing a 2-hit shutout. He's walked 3, struckout 4 and stranded 6 runners. Zambrano has thrown 78 pitches, 46 for strikes.
Gunned Down
The last three base runners who have attempted to steal on Nats catchers, have been thrown out. Prior to that, the Nats backstops had only thrown out 1 of 18. Let's see if this trend continues in the Nationals favor.
St.Claire Visit
For the second time in two innings, pitching coach Randy St.Claire made a visit to the mound to talk to Chico. For the second time in two innings, Reed Johnson and Ryan Theriot hit back-to-back singles. Derrek Lee just hit a 2-run double to make it 5-0 Cubs.
Chico has thrown 56 pitches in 2 innings.
Chico's struggles
Once again, Matt Chico is having a hard time with his command early in games. Tonight, he gave up 3 earned runs on 4 hits and a walk in the first inning and threw 31 pitches. In his last start, against Atlanta, he gave up 6 earned runs on 6 hits and 3 walks in the first three innings. At this rate, he won't make it to the 3rd.
Matt Chico gave up three consecutive singles in the top of the 1st before registering an out and the Cubs had a 1-0 lead. After an infield fly was ruled on Aramis Ramirez for the first out, he walked Kosuke Fukudome to load the bases. Mark DeRosa followed with a single to score two and the Cubs led 3-0, Chico settled down and got a strikeout and force out to end the damage.
Game Preview: Cubs (15-8) vs. Nationals (8-16)
The Nationals look to continue their winning ways tonight in game 2 of their 3 game series vs. Chicago. Last night they got a dramatic walk-off home run from Wil Nieves, his first career homer, for the 5-3 win and extended their win streak to two games.
The Nats have won 3 of 4 and send Matt Chico on the hill to face Carlos Zambrano. Chico is still looking for his first win of the season and the Nationals are looking for their first victory when he pitches.
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Pitching Match-Up
Matt Chico (0-4, 6.04) hasn't fared well in his last two outings. In 9 innings, he has given up 11 earned runs on 15 hits and 6 walks. The Nationals lost by a combined score of 12-5. In his prior outing, he was the hard luck loser, losing to the Braves 3-0. In that game, he gave up one earned run in 8 innings, but didn't get any run support.
In his only career appearance against the Cubs, Chico pitched shutout ball for 7 innings and gave up 4 hits in the 6-0 win on July 4th last season. Manny Acta is looking for the same kind of performance out of him tonight.
Carlos Zambrano (3-1,2.67) toes the rubber for the Cubs. In his last outing, Zambrano allowed 1-run on five hits over 7 innings. He walked two and struckout four in route to the 7-1 win over the Mets. Zambrano has made 5 starts this season and has given up fewer than 2 eraned runs in four of them. His only loss was to the Phillies, when he surrendered 5 earned runs in 6 innings. He's pitched 6 innings or more in every start this season.
Last season, Zambrano who went 18-13 with a 3.95 ERA, was 2-0, with a 3.55 ERA in two starts vs. the Nats. In his career, 10 games (9 starts), he is 5-2 with a 3.42 ERA against the franchise. Zambrano eats up innings, having pitched at least 209 innings every season since 2003, so expect him to go deep into the game.
Starting Line-Up's
Cubs
CF Reed Johnson
SS Ryan Theriot
1B Derrek Lee
3B Aramis Ramirez
RF Kosuke Fukudome
LF Mark DeRosa
C Geovany Soto
2B Ronny Cendeno
P Carlos Zambrano
Nationals
2B Felipe Lopez
SS Cristian Guzman
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Nick Johnson
CF Lastings Milledge
RF Austin Kearns
C Johnny Estrada
LF Wily Mo Pena
P Matt Chico
With this Ring
After the Nationals finished batting practice, I was in the clubhouse and stopped by Wily Mo Pena's locker to chat. As we were talking, I looked on his chair and saw a nice wooden box that appeared to be a watch box. I asked Wily Mo what it was and he opened it. It wasn't a watch box, but a ring box. It was the ring he earned as a member of the Boston Red Sox World Series Championship team in 2006. When he held the ring , I could see the pride in his face from being on the Red Sox for part of that magical season. I asked him when he would be getting his Nationals World Series ring and he said "Very soon."
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