另一篇芝加哥報導 （Chicago sun-time） - 棒球

Another tough loss for Matt Garza as Nationals beat Cubs 3-1

BY TONI GINNETTI [email protected] August 9, 2011 11:18PM


Lamenting the circumstances surrounding hard-luck losses doesn’t
change them, and Cubs pitcher Matt Garza never has complained
about the balls that haven’t bounced his way this season.

Another tough 3-1 loss Tuesday to the Washington Nationals was
about two hanging sliders in the sixth inning that decided what
had been a gritty pitchers’ duel between Garza (5-9) and
Chien-Ming Wang (1-2), who no-hit the Cubs through five innings in
only his third start since returning from shoulder surgery two
years ago.

‘‘Wang had his sinker going great,’’ Garza said. ‘‘You put
the ball down in the zone, and you get a lot of ground-ball outs.’
’

The only hit off Wang came when Tony Campana led off the sixth as
a pinch hitter for Garza and singled sharply to the right side of
the infield.

The Taiwanese native left after six, and the Cubs had only two
more hits, including Starlin Castro’s sixth homer of the season
in the eighth off Tyler Clippard for the Cubs’ only run.

The Nationals scored their runs on homers, too, both in the sixth.
The first was a booming drive to the top of the batter’s eye in
center field by Michael Morse, followed two batters later by Jonny
Gomes’ homer to left with Jayson Werth on base.

Garza hadn’t allowed two homers in one inning since Sept. 8,
2010, in Boston while a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Without that inning, Garza and relievers James Russell, Kerry Wood
and Carlos Marmol could boast a strong night. They combined for
15 strikeouts.

‘‘I know he’d like that slider back against Morse,’’ manager
Mike Quade said of Garza, who had nine strikeouts and allowed six
hits in six innings.

‘‘He threw the ball well, but Wang was good — ground ball after
ground ball — and he did it efficiently. The velocity wasn’t
what it used to be, the power sinker, but he did have good
movement on the fastball.’’

The game was one more frustration for a pitcher who has
out-performed his record.

Garza is one of only five major-league pitchers who have five
victories or fewer in at least 20 starts with an ERA below 4.00.

The others are the Detroit Tigers’ Doug Fister (4-12, 3.29), the
San Diego Padres’ Dustin Moseley (3-10, 3.30), the New York Mets’
R.A. Dickey (5-10, 3.72) and the Houston Astros’ Bud Norris
(5-8, 3.73).

Garza has left games six times with a lead, only to not factor
into the decision. In his last five starts entering Tuesday, he
led in four but emerged with the victory only once.

In his last eight starts at home, he’s 3-2 with a 2.65 ERA,
including a 1.75 ERA in his last five.

And in losing, he still had his 13th quality start.

‘‘Mechanically, I felt off,’’ he said. ‘‘[The homers came
on] hanging sliders. Usually that’s what happens when you hang a
slider in this league.’’

Though the Cubs had little to show offensively, their one constant
bat continues to thrive.

Castro’s homer to right-center field added to his streak of
having scored a run in a career-high 10 straight games, the
longest streak by a Cub since Mark DeRosa’s 10-game streak from
May 9 to May 19, 2008. The last Cub to score in 11 consecutive
games was Rick Monday from Aug. 21 to Sept. 3, 1976.

Castro has hit in nine consecutive games. He’s hitting .463
(19-for-41) with 12 runs scored, three doubles, three homers, nine
RBI and six multihit games during the streak.

‘‘Amazing,’’ Quade said. ‘‘Again, a home run. When you have
a guy with that kind of swing and who can square up and hit the
ball, that’s what happens. Hopefully, he doesn’t change a thing.
He’s put together a great offensive year.’’

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