Chicago Cubs: Giants take series; Rodney acquired from Mariners

Cubs have no answers for Bumgarner in loss; Bullpen help added in Rodney

The Chicago Cubs dropped the series finale to the San Francisco Giants 9-1 as Dan Haren struggled again, but it might not have mattered as Madison Bumgarner was superb for the Giants. It was the long ball again that hurt Haren as he allowed a three-run home run to Marlon Byrd that put the Giants up 5-1. Bumgarner only pitched into the sixth, but it was more than enough to tie the Cubs’ Jake Arrieta at 16 wins to lead the NL. Starlin Castro drove in the lone Cubs run with an RBI double in the first, and Kris Bryant extended his hitting streak to seven games.

The Cubs made an addition to their bullpen, and apparently the stipulation is past success with Joe Maddon. The Cubs traded for Fernando Rodney of the Mariner for cash and a PTBNL. Rodney had one of his best seasons in Tampa with Maddon in 2012 when he converted 48 saves and posted an ERA of 0.60. The Cubs sent Zac Rosscup to Iowa and DFA’s Brian Schlitter in corresponding moves.

The Pittsburgh Pirates created some room between themselves and the Cubs as they held of the Miami Marlins for a 2-1 win behind Gerrit Cole. With the win, the Pirates moved four ahead of the Cubs in the NL Wild Card race. The Pirates will head home to face the Colorado Rockies this weekend while the Cubs will face the Los Angeles Dodgers.

How healthy will the Dodgers be when facing the Cubs? Adrian Gonzalez and Yasiel Puig both left Thursday’s game. Gonzalez left with a knee contusion after fouling a ball off his leg, and Puig with a hamstring injury after legging out an infield hit in the ninth.

These and other stories you may have missed:

‘Cubs drop series to Giants with 9-1 loss’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Cubs acquire Fernando Rodney from Mariners’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Pirates beat Marlins behind Cole’s 15th win’ – MLB.com

‘Gonzalez, Puig both leave game for Dodgers’ – ESPN.com

‘September callups that could make a difference’ – Cubbies Crib

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