For one painful afternoon Friday at Wrigley Field, Edward Cabrera earned a new nickname: El Aguafiesta. Loosely translated, that’s Spanish for buzzkill.
Cabrera hadn’t pitched since May 20th because of a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand.
This was not independently confirmed, but many in the crowd of 39,060 left with blisters on their derrieres Friday from all the squirming they did while watching seven Giant blasts leave the yard in an 18-3 demolition of the home nine.
So much for any positive carryover from Thursday night’s ninth-inning comeback win over the Athletics, which inspired Cub icon Anthony Rizzo, sitting in a front-row field box, to tear off his shirt, “Tarps Off” style. Rizzo was not front and center Friday, but if he had been he might have been inclined to wear a bag over his head.
Wrigley organist Josh Langhoff played a few bars of the Hallelujah Chorus when the skies parted, the rain stopped and play commenced after an hour delay. Had he known what was coming, Langhoff might have switched to country mode and played Patsy Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces.”
That chorus line of happy Cubs high-stepping across home plate four times in the ninth inning Thursday was replaced by a shell-shocked parade of Cub pitchers Friday afternoon that started with Cabrera. The Colombian right-hander gave up eight runs on eight hits, including three home runs, and didn’t survive a fourth inning in which he gave up a grand slam home run to Matt Chapman and, three batters later, a two-run shot to Casey Schmitt.
“The stuff, I thought, kind of ticked up from where we left it before he went on the injured list,’’ manager Craig Counsell said. “He just made some bad pitches and they put them in the seats.’’
Almost inconceivably, it didn’t get any better after Cabrera departed. The Giants, who began hitting almost from the time they got off the bus, Luis Arraez doubling and Willy Adames hitting the first of his two home runs for a 2-0 lead four batters into the game, didn’t stop until the blue “L” flag was hanging above the scoreboard.
The Giants sent 10 batters to the plate in their six-run fourth. They sent another dozen batters to the plate in their seven-run, eight-hit sixth inning, which included a second home run of the game for both Adames (two-run shot) and Chapman (three-run shot).
Adames’ home run came off lefty reliever Hoby Milner, who entered the game with a 2.28 ERA, a reflection of how well he has performed this season, and left with an inflated 4.18, which is what happens to a reliever when he gives up six runs in a third of an inning. Ethan Roberts replaced the forlorn Milner after a hit batsman and single and gave up the home run to Chapman, the first batter he faced.
By that point, the score was 16-nil, but the crowd was so benumbed, most folks couldn’t be bothered to boo.
Chapman, who also hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth off Phil Maton, finished with eight RBIs, a career high, and tied a San Francisco record. It was also the most RBIs by any player in the majors this season.
Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins was in the house—he led the singing of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”—but Fergie is 83. When it was time to summon someone to pitch the ninth, Counsell opted for a catcher, Carson Kelly.
Kelly’s first pitch of the ninth registered 61.7 miles an hour on the radar gun. Jonah Cox hit it 446 feet, substitute center fielder Kevin Alcantara giving it a half wave as it disappeared into the center-field bleachers.
Kelly’s second pitch came in at 49.7 mph. Casey Schmitt hit it 424 feet into the left-center field bleachers.
Kelly set down the next three Giants in order, on two popups and a comebacker to the mound. That in itself was worthy of a standing O, but by then most folks had headed to the exits.