Morning Marquee: Cubs mauled by Tigers; Rafael Soriano inks deal

After securing the series victory over the Washington Nationals this past Monday, the Chicago Cubs were unable to keep the momentum going in Detroit, suffering a 6-0 shutout while visiting Miguel Cabrera and the Tigers.

Cabrera got his team on the board during the home half of the first, recording an RBI single off starting pitcher Jon Lester to give his team the 1-0 early advantage. Lester was only able to make it through 4 1/3 frames before handing things over to former rotation man, Edwin Jackson.

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Veteran catcher David Ross nearly had himself a two-run shot early on in the game, but outfielder Rajai Davis was able to channel his inner ‘Angels in the Outfield’ by leaping towards the wall to rob him of the hit.

It appeared as if Yoenis Cespedes lost track of where the ball was, luckily his center fielder was right on it to make the play.

While Lester struggled, the man who most thought would struggle, Anibal Sanchez, was almost impossible for this Cubs team to solve. Sanchez had given up a handful of home runs prior to yesterday’s game but managed to work through 7 2/3 scoreless frames while giving up only six hits to this young and dangerous lineup.

Jackson picked up the rest of the workload, surrendering two earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. This bullpen has had some ups and downs this season, so the front-office made it their mission to seek reinforcements and that’s exactly what they did.

Before the Cubs and Tigers took the field, it was announced that the club had agreed on a minor league deal with a veteran reliever, Rafael Soriano.

Soriano, 35, spent two seasons with the Nationals after bouncing between the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, and the Atlanta Braves. Washington signed him to a two-year, $28 million deal after the 2012 campaign where he would record 43 saves while posting a not too terrible 3.11 ERA.

He was later stripped of the closer role in September despite beginning the year with a solid 0.97 ERA only to collapse during the second half of the season.

There were some concerns regarding how much money he would be asking for since his agent at the time was none other than Scott Boras. Boras was eventually fired not too long ago which opened the door for Soriano to finally land a job after sitting on the sideline for several months.

I’m sure once he’s settled in, he’ll become a fine addition to this bullpen.

Here’s more from around the league:

‘Jorge De La Rosa Leads The Colorado Rockies To Victory‘ – Rox Pile

‘The Howie Kendrick Show Leads Dodgers To Series Win‘ – Lasorda’s Lair

‘Houston Astros drop sixth straight game in loss to White Sox‘ – Climbing Tal’s Hill

‘Padres Squander Big Lead, Braves Get Revenge‘ – Friars On Base

‘Cubs News: Rafael Soriano reportedly signs minor league deal‘ – Cubbies Crib

Next: Cubs Mauled In Shutout

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