Pujols Sticks It to Cubs Again

If you had watched the game on a standard definition television and maybe had pounded a few beers, you may have sworn that the late inning clutch home run by Albert Pujols was a re run of an old Cubs Cardinals game from just a few years ago. Unfortunately for the 2013 Cubs and the new schedule that has all MLB teams playing each other at least once a season, Pujols was allowed to haunt the North Siders in red yet again. Somewhere former manager Mike Quade may have been demanding equal criticism on Dale Sveum’s decision to pitch to the slugger with first base open, a mistake Quade made twice in back to back games a couple of seasons ago. To be fair to Sveum, at least Pujols had been struggling in 2013 before his game winning no doubter way over the left field wall.

Jun 4, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols (5) celebrates after scoring on a home run against the Chicago Cubs during the eighth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

The clutch homer erased another excellent start by Scott Feldman, who went six innings against the familiar AL West foe from his Rangers days, only allowing two runs on six hits despite just one strikeout and one free pass allowed. The Cubs starter had been supported by a trio of RBI singles through the first three frames. Nate Schierholtz drove in Luis Valbuena to get the scoring started in the first. Ryan Sweeney and Alfonso Soriano teamed up with a pair of RBI singles in the third to make it 3-1 Cubs at the time.

Carlos Villanueva got tagged with the loss, as he was the one that served up the homer to Pujols. The Cubs dropped to 23-33 while the surprisingly struggling Angels improved to just 26-33.