The Cubs put up a good effort last night, but fell a run short, losing to the Pirates 4-3. I'll give Maddon an "A" for moxie and creativity, but, especially with the minor injury that forced Fowler out of the game, the Cubs bench was pretty short. For some reason, the Cubs did not demote Schlitter when they brought up Germen, instead sending down Szczur, who had not played badly. That left them with thirteen pitchers and three catchers again.
After using a bunch of pinch-hitters in the eighth inning to close the gap to one run, they had to run Bryant out to play center field in the bottom of the inning. Then, with two outs in the top of the ninth, Maddon put Travis Wood in to run for Rizzo with Bryant up. You have to wonder who would have played first base had they tied the score or gone ahead.
I assume LaStella will come off the DL Friday and Schlitter will be sent down, though, with these guys, you never know. LaStella is a good move if he is healthy, as the Cubs need a left-handed bat now off the bench.
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