It wasn’t easy, but the Chicago Cubs managed to outlast the Colorado Rockies 9-8 in a wild game at Wrigley Field on Wednesday night.
David Bote hammered his seventh home run of the season and drove in seven RBI in the game, and Anthony Rizzo drove in a run as the Cubs won their second game in a row against the visiting Rockies.
Yu Darvish departed the game in the sixth inning, giving up two earned runs and striking out five batters in the contest. Steve Cishek collected the save in the ninth inning despite giving up a pair of hits and a run, but he struck out Ryan McMahon with the tying run on first base to secure the victory.
With a dense fog rolling in over the ballpark, the Cubs and Rockies played four scoreless innings before the Cubs finally got on the board in the fifth thanks to a three-run home run by Bote that gave Chicago a 3-0 lead.
The Rockies quickly tied the game up in the sixth, as Nolan Arenado hit an RBI single and Daniel Murphy grounded into an RBI fielder’s choice. McMahon then singled to left to score Arenado, tying the game at 3-3.
In the bottom of the frame, the Cubs scored five runs, as Rizzo singled to right to score Kyle Schwarber and Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch to drive in another run. Bote then doubled to left field to clear the bases, giving the Cubs an 8-3 advantage.
The Rockies wouldn’t go away however, scoring four runs in the seventh inning to make it an 8-7 game. The Cubs added a critical insurance run in the eighth as Bote drove in his seventh RBI of the game with a single, and it proved important as the Rockies scored again in the ninth to make it 9-8.
Chicago Baseball
Cishek managed to get out of the jam, getting Arenado to pop out before striking out Murphy and McMahon to seal the victory and give the Cubs a chance at a sweep on Thursday.
