CHICAGO – After Shae Simmons had an uncharacteristic hiccup Friday, issuing a bases-loaded walk in the sixth inning of a tie game against the Cubs, fellow Braves rookie Christian Bethancourt picked him up in the ninth by blistering a two-out RBI single up the middle to tie the score again.
But it wasn’t enough. A few wasted scoring opportunities for the Braves and a couple of hits through the infield were difference-makers for the Cubs, who won the series opener 5-4 on Justin Ruggiano’s walk-off single through left side with two out in the ninth inning at sold-out Wrigley Field.
Arismendy Alcantara singled through the right side with two out and stole second against reliever Jordan Walden (0-1), and Ruggiano followed with a grounder that nicked the end of shortstop Andrelton Simmons’ glove. That brought home Alcantara and brought other Cubs streaming from the dugout to celebrate a second consecutive win since a six-game losing streak.
The loss was the fifth in six games for the Braces since their nine-game winning streak, and they’ll need to win the next two to avoid going to the All-Star break with back-to-back series losses to the Mets and Cubs.
Alex Wood was charged with five hits, four runs and three walks with six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings, but it was hit-by-pitch that proved particularly frustrating. He hit catcher Welington Castillo with a 0-2 fastball pitch to load the bases with none out in the sixth, and two batters later gave up a game-tying, broken-bat single through the right side by Chris Coghlan.
That was all for Wood, and Simmons walked the next batter, pinch-hitter Luis Valbuena, to put the Cubs ahead. Simmons has been close to perfect in some highly pressurized situations since arriving from Double-A six weeks ago, and he retired the next five batters after his uncharacteristic hiccup Friday.
Braves came back from a 2-0 deficit after three innings by scoring two runs via productive groundouts in the fourth inning, then took a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning on Freddie Freeman’s two-out double off the ivy-covered center-field wall.
Freeman drove in Wood, who reached on a bunt single to start the inning when Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta’s throw to first hit Wood in the back. It was the first base hit of Wood’s major league career. Jordan Schafer advanced him with a sacrifice bunt, and one out later Freeman nearly hit the ball out of the park but had to settle for one RBI and a double.
Wood couldn’t protect the lead, giving it back in the bottom of the inning after giving up a leadoff double by All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo followed by an infield single from Starlin Castro. When Wood hit Castillo, the left-hander was out of wiggle room.
He struck out Junior Lake, who snapped his bat over his thigh in frustration. Coghlan followed with his groundball single that put a charge into a crowd of 39,544, the largest of the season at 100-year-old Wrigley.
The Braves failed to capitalize in their half of the eighth after Schafer’s one-out walk. Simmons flied out and Freeman walked to put two on with two out before Justin Upton struck out to end the inning.
Jason Heyward had leadoff doubles in the seventh and ninth innings for the Braves. In the seventh, Chris Johnson followed by striking out. Tommy La Stella advanced Heyward to third with a groundout before Bethancourt struck out to end the inning.
After Heyward doubled again to start the ninth, Johnson lined out to short and La Stella again advanced the runner with a groundout to first base. This time, Bethancourt came through with a single that brought home Heyward.
Bethancourt had a scary moment in the first inning when he a foul tip caromed off his shoulder pad and hit him behind the ear, but he was able to continue after being checked out by head trainer Jeff Porter.
Cubs starter Jake Arrieta, who had been 4-0 with a 0.99 ERA in his previous seven starts, gave up four hits, three runs and three walks in 7 2/3 innings for no decision Friday. He had six strikeouts, and he also drove in the first run of the game with a bunt in the third inning.
The Cubs took a 2-0 lead in the third after a leadoff double by Coghlan and a walk by No. 8 hitter Mike Olt. Arrieta’s sacrifice bunt scored Coghlan, and Ruggiano’s two-out single drove in another run.
The Braves answered with two in the fourth after a leadoff walk by Schafer and a Simmons double. Freeman and Upton followed with consecutive RBI ground outs.
For postgame write-thru version of this story with quotes, got to MyAJC.com or use this link.
