April 28th Game’s Results and Analysis

April 28^th Game’s Results and Analysis

Miami Marlins 6 - Chicago Cubs 4

Winning Pitcher: Nolasco (2-2) Losing Pitcher: Villanueva (1-1)

Save by Cishnek (3)

Player of the Game: Giancarlo Stanton

The Chicago Cubs couldn’t pull out the sweep against the Miami Marlins because of their loss on Sunday. The Cubbies couldn’t manufacture enough runs off the Marlins and their ace Ricky Nolasco in order to get the win. Nolasco had a great outing against the Cubs by going seven strong innings, just allowing three earned runs on 4 hits and two walks. Even though Nolasco put together a quality start against the Cubs he isn’t the player of the game because he was outshined by his teammate Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton went 3 for 3 with a walk, 3 runs scored, 4 RBIs and two homeruns in the game, which easily makes him the player of the game.

Impressive: I was impressed by a few hitters for the Cubbies. One of them was Starlin Castro who went 2 for 4 in the game with two RBIs and double, however he did strikeout once in the game. I was also impressed by Anthony Rizzo who went 2 for 3 with a walk, a RBI and a double however he also stuck out once in the game as well. The other Cubs hitter that I was impressed with was Dioner Navarro, who hit a solo shot in the ninth inning off the Marlins closer Steve Cishek. Navarro has been impressive at the plate for the Cubs this year, which is kind of surprising because he isn’t known exactly for his bat. Overall, he was a good addition for the Cubbies this off-season and is an above average backup catcher.

Surprising: I was surprised with Carlos Villanueva struggles in this game. I was expecting Villanueva to just cruise by this one because he has pitched amazingly this year and was going up against one of the weakest lineups in the majors. However, Villanueva collected his first lost in the season by going six innings, allowing four earned runs on four hits and three walks. The three walks is what I find most shocking because he has shown great command in his first few starts as a Cub and these walks could have been prevented. Although, Villanueva did strikeout eight Marlins and kept the game in reach for the Cubs.

Concerning: The Cubs just couldn’t score enough runs to pull out a win and that has happened too much in this season so far. The Cubs batters really need to step up when they have runners in scoring position. Even though the Cubbies took their four game series against the Marlins, they could have done better at the plate. The Cubbies are getting great outings from their pitchers and solid performances from the bullpen lately, which means it is time for their hitters to step up and do their part to win games.