Cubs fall as Diamondbacks rally late, lose 9-5

The Chicago Cubs carried a one run lead late in the game, only to watch it vanish as the Arizona Diamondbacks put together a rally during the bottom of the eighth, who drove in five in their 9-5 loss Thursday evening.

With Anthony Carter on the mound, outfielder Socrates Brito tied the game up at five a piece, pushing across Nick Evans in his only at-bat. Shortly after Brito’s game tying hit, veteran Chris Owings gave his team the 6-5 lead on a RBI single to left fielder Junior Lake.

Arizona (10-6) extended their lead to 9-5 on a sharp ground ball to center field off the bat of second baseman Danny Worth.

Pitcher Edwin Jackson not only picked up the start today for the Cubs, but gave himself the early lead during the top of the third inning with an RBI double to left field. He would later come across to score, extending the lead to 2-0 on a double by Dexter Fowler.

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Jackson (1-1, 1.00 ERA) worked through four innings against the D’backs today, allowing three runs (one earned), off four hits while issuing one walk and fanning three.

Following a walk by Fowler and a double by Chris Coghlan with no-outs, shortstop Starlin Castro gave the Cubs (7-10) a 4-3 lead in the fifth on a ground rule double to right field. Castro would later come around to score to make it a 5-3 ballgame on a Jorge Soler RBI triple to left center.

Chicago had the opportunity to pad their lead after Castro led off the seventh inning with a triple to right field. Arizona’s outfielder slipped while attempting to field the ball, a play that would have held Starlin to just a single.

What Stood Out:

Extra base hits appeared to be on the menu for several men within this Cubs lineup tonight, as Castro, Coghlan, Folwer, Jackson and Soler put themselves in scoring position multiple times. The only downside, was some of the guys who followed suit couldn’t get the job done.

Second baseman Javier Baez continued to struggle at the plate as he finished the night 0-4 with four strikeouts. Baez had the opportunity to drive in Castro who sat on third with two outs during the top of the seventh.

While opposing pitchers fanned Baez four times and the Cubs left 24 men on base, Jackson’s outing wasn’t all that bad. Sure he gave up two doubles in the same inning which eventually led to the D’backs taking the lead, but the inning could have ended if it wasn’t for Castro’s fielding error which resulted in Owings being safe at first.

Castro’s early error could have been the second out of the inning, wiping out Jake Lamb’s sacrifice fly which tied the game at 2-2 with two outs.

What’s Next:

The Chicago Cubs will travel to Camelback Ranch to take on the Chicago White Sox for the very first time this spring.

Left-hander Travis Wood (1-0, 1.80 ERA) will make the start and is coming off a solid outing four days ago against the Cincinnati Reds. Woods gave up just four hits while striking out four and walking one through five scoreless frames.

Starting opposite of Wood will be right-hander Hector Noesi. Noesi (0-0, 1.80 ERA) has been superb in each of his two starts this spring – giving up only one earned run off two hits while striking out three and allowing one free pass through five innings.

Tomorrow’s first pitch between these two Windy City Rivals is slated for 3:05 pm central time and will be aired live on the MLB Network.

Next: Baez Not A Lock To Make Cubs Roster?