Cubs manager Jim Riggleman pointed to two factors–timely hitting and starting pitching–that have characterized the Cubs as they have won 10 of their last 14.
“Today we had only five hits, but we made them count and scored five runs,” said Riggleman.
The Cubs standed only four baserunners Friday. They scored an unearned run when right-fielder Marc Newfield dropped Luis Gonzalez’s liner for a two-base error in the first. They scored two runs in the fourth, one on Jose Hernandez’s one-out single and the other on Mike Hubbard’s sacrifice fly.
Scott Bullett and Sammy Sosa homered in the fifth for the other runs. The Cubs didn’t get a hit after those homers.
Starters coming on: “The No. 1 difference in our play lately has been more consistent pitching by our starters,” said Riggleman.
Steve Trachsel’s work Friday was an excellent example. He located 76 of his 114 pitches for strikes. He walked only one. He had low-pitch innings of 8, 8, 12, 12 and 13. Only in the fifth did he exceeed 20 pitches, throwing 23 as Newfield, Jody Reed and Andujar Cedeno had three of San Diego’s five hits to score its only run.
“We had a three-run lead, and I paid too much attention to the runner on base in that fifth inning,” said Trachsel. “The difference now is that I know when I’m doing something wrong–I can feel it and adjust. I don’t have to wait until I get in the dugout and have the pitching coach tell me.”
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Trachsel attributes his improvement from last year (7-13, 5.15 earned-run average) to “a whole lot of things I’ve worked on since spring training. So many little things. Some of them physical and mechanical, but some mental too.”
Friday’s victory improved his 1996 record in Wrigley Field to 5-3 with a 1.85 ERA.
Day of rest: For the first time this season, Brian McRae didn’t start in center field. He was replaced by Bullett. Sosa is the only Cub to have started all 66 games.
Nice turnout: Friday’s crowd of 30,877 lifted Cubs home attendance for the season to 884,845.