Michael Busch, Cubs looks to feast on Cards' pitching in finale
"I'll say it again: This is a good offense," Counsell said after the Cubs lost 5-0 to the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday. "We're going to score runs."
Chicago did just that on Saturday night in a 9-1 rout of St. Louis. The Cubs will try to build off that breakthrough on Sunday night when they finish their three-game weekend road series against the Cardinals.
The Cubs scored three runs or fewer on six occasions during a nine-game span before Saturday's uprising.
Michael Busch has punished Cardinals pitching all season, going 15-for-34 with six homers, 12 runs and 11 RBIs. Many Cubs joined him on Saturday, including Matt Shaw (2-for-3, homer, two runs, two RBIs), Carson Kelly (3-for-4, RBI), Dansby Swanson (3-for-4, stolen base, two runs) and Kyle Tucker (1-for-4, walk, two runs, RBI).
"A multiple-run first inning, which I felt was just good, we haven't been doing that a lot lately," Counsell said of the two-run inning. "We played really good offense, hit a bunch of balls hard tonight, and put a big run number up."
The Cubs on Sunday will start left-hander Shota Imanaga (8-4, 3.12 ERA), who is trying to sustain a late-season turnaround.
Imanaga struggled during his last two starts in July while allowing 10 runs on 17 hits -- including five homers -- in just eight innings. He got back on track on Tuesday while holding the Cincinnati Reds to one run on three hits in 6 1/3 innings while striking out seven and walking none. The Cubs lost 5-1.
Imanaga earned a 3-0 victory over the Cardinals on June 26, blanking them for five innings on one hit and one walk while striking out three. He is is 2-0 with a 2.41 ERA in three career starts against St. Louis.
The Cardinals will counter on Sunday with right-hander Sonny Gray (10-5, 4.21 ERA), who also is trying to sustain a turnaround.
Gray delivered his best performance since June in his last start. He held the Dodgers to one run on one hit -- a Freddie Freeman homer -- in seven innings on Monday in Los Angeles. He struck out eight and walked one as St. Louis won 3-2.
Gray re-established his sweeper against the Dodgers.
"I knew it was sharp when Shohei (Ohtani) swung at it as the first batter of the game, but I also set it up pretty well because I got the ball to his hands so that his hips were moving earlier," Gray told MLB.com. "But when I threw that first one to (Ohtani) and he swung at it, I knew that was a good thing. Then, when Freddie did it as well, it was executed.
"Then I felt more comfortable in those moments because I was executing, and I had done the work to force them to swing."
Cardinals utility player Brendan Donovan is questionable for Sunday's game. He was a late scratch from the lineup Saturday night due to left groin tightness.
--Field Level Media
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
a minute ago
- Daily Mail
High school basketball player sues coach for assault and bullying after he pulled her hair in outburst that shocked the world
A high school basketball player whose coach aggressively pulled her hair during a New York championship game has filed a lawsuit alleging assault and a pattern of abusive behavior. Jim Zullo, 81, was immediately fired as head coach of the Northville High School girls' basketball team in March after he was caught on video in a furious rant, pulling a player's hair just moments after the team's championship loss. On Monday, the teen, identified as senior Hailey Monroe, filed a lawsuit against both Zullo and the Northville Central School District, as reported by the Daily Gazette. Monroe is alleging not only aggressive and bullying behavior by Zullo during the game, but also a troubling pattern of similar misconduct - one she says the school was fully aware of. The lawsuit, obtained by the outlet, first references the violent incident, which went massively viral - garnering millions of views and circulating widely across both social media and national television. According to the docs, Zullo became enraged following the team's 43–37 loss in the New York State Class D championship game on March 21. During his tantrum, the head coach reportedly erupted into a screaming fury at Monroe before violently grabbing and yanking her hair in front of stunned teammates and spectators. The suit states that this was not an isolated incident, alleging that Zullo has a 'reputation and history of inappropriate, aggressive, and dangerous conduct' toward his young team members - including Monroe. More specifically, he 'had a long history of both physical and psychological abuse of students both in and out of the Northville Central School District,' according to the complaint. The suit further alleges that the school district had already been made aware of Zullo's tendency to erupt into aggressive episodes, specifically targeting the teenage girls on his team. Despite allegedly being aware of the ongoing situation, the district failed to take appropriate action to protect its students from the abuse, the suit claims, according to CBS 6 Albany News. The lawsuit, filed by Monroe's attorneys at Anderson, Moschetti & Taffany, PLLC, in the Supreme Court of New York, seeks an unspecified amount in damages, according to Daily Gazette. However, it does note that they are seeking damages for the 'injuries, expenses, and damages' resulting from the March assault. Monroe's legal team alleges that the coach's despicable actions, captured on camera, were a result of the district's negligence, which contributed to the teen's injuries. Monroe has also been 'substantially damaged and suffered a monetary loss' as a result of the incident following the championship game, her legal team claims, as reported by the Daily Gazette. Both the Northville Central School District and Zullo have been formally served and now have 20 days to respond to the complaint - or risk a default judgment being issued against them, according to CBS. At the end of the championship game held at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York, the now-infamous video captured Zullo yanking Monroe's hair - who was believed to be just 17 or 18 years old at the time. Moments later, another player - believed to be Ahmya Tompkins, reportedly Zullo's niece - stepped between Monroe and the coach, appearing to intervene. Zullo began shouting at both players, as he and Tompkins pointed fingers at each other in a tense exchange - all while Monroe stood nearly frozen, visibly shaken and in tears. Expert Nicola Hickling, founder of LipReader, revealed to Daily Mail what Zullo said to his players during his rant after reviewing the footage. According to Hickling, Tompkins wrapped her arm around Monroe to shield her teammate and firmly told the coach, 'Leave her. That's not okay.' Zullo fired back, but Tompkins stood her ground and told him again, 'No, leave her.' Enraged, he spun around, leaned in, and snapped, 'You shut it.' After the video went viral and drew millions of views, Zullo was swiftly removed from his position. He later spoke out, expressing remorse for his actions. 'I deeply regret my behavior,' Zullo said in a statement to ABC. 'As a coach, under no circumstance is it acceptable to put my hands on a player, and I am truly sorry. I wish I could have those moments back.' The former coach later told News10 ABC that Monroe had cursed at him after he instructed her to shake hands with the opposing team - a response he claimed triggered the hair-pulling altercation. Nevertheless, just days after the incident, Zullo was charged with second-degree harassment and summoned to court. Last month, he pleaded guilty to the charge and paid a $120 surcharge, according to the Daily Gazette. As part of the resolution, he was also issued a one-year order of protection, barring him from any contact with Monroe.
Reuters
a minute ago
- Reuters
Padres' relief corps shuts down skidding Giants
August 13 - Jose Iglesias and Jackson Merrill hit home runs, four San Diego relievers combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings, and the Padres made it two in a row over the San Francisco Giants with a 5-1 road triumph on Tuesday. Ramon Laureano doubled, single and scored twice for the Padres, who won their fourth game in a row. After the teams traded single runs in the first inning, San Diego took the lead for good when Laureano opened the second with a single and jogged home on Iglesias' two-run homer to left field. It was Iglesias' first long ball of the season. San Diego tacked on single runs in the fourth (on an RBI double by Jake Cronenworth, scoring Laureano) and in the eighth (on Merrill's ninth homer of the year). Giants starter Robbie Ray (9-6) yielded four runs in six innings. He allowed seven hits and one walk while striking out four. San Francisco lost its fourth game in a row. Down 1-0 after Ray balked home Manny Machado in the top of the first, the Giants immediately got even when Casey Schmitt doubled, went to third on a single by Rafael Devers and scored on a two-out infield hit by Wilmer Flores. That was the last of the San Francisco scoring. Padres starter Nestor Cortes teamed with relievers David Morgan, Jason Adam, Adrian Morejon and Robert Suarez to dance into and out of trouble, limiting the Giants to just the one run despite 10 hits. Ahead 4-1 but facing a two-on, two-out situation, Cortes was pulled one out from a possible win in the fifth. Morgan came on to strike out Willy Adames and end the threat. Adam (8-3), who took over for Morgan and worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out mess in the sixth to retain the three-run lead, was credited with the win. The Giants wound up stranding 11 baserunners. Merrill joined Laureano with two hits apiece for the Padres, who have won six of eight against the Giants this season. Schmitt had a career-high-tying four hits and Flores added two hits for the Giants, who fell to 1-4 on their nine-game homestand. --Field Level Media
Reuters
31 minutes ago
- Reuters
MLB roundup: Pete Alonso sets Mets' career homer mark in win
August 13 - Pete Alonso clubbed two of the Mets' six homers Tuesday night, breaking the franchise record for career long balls in the process, as New York routed the visiting Atlanta Braves 13-5. Alonso's first homer, a two-run shot to right-center in the bottom of the third, was the 253rd of his seven-year career. That knocked Darryl Strawberry's 37-year old record out of the books and Alonso got a long ovation from the Citi Field crowd, taking a curtain call to boot. Alonso added his 28th homer of the year in the sixth, marking his fourth two-homer game of the year and allowing New York to snap a seven-game losing streak. Teammate Francisco Alvarez also cracked a pair of homers while Brandon Nimmo and Brett Baty tacked on homers in the team's 16-hit attack. Reliever Gregory Soto (1-3) worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings to pick up the win while rookie Justin Hagenman pitched four hitless innings to earn his first major league save. Starter Clay Holmes was bailed out despite permitting six hits and five runs in 3 2/3 innings, walking five and striking out four. Brewers 14, Pirates 0 Freddy Peralta allowed three hits over six scoreless innings and red-hot Milwaukee slugged five homers to extend its winning streak to 11 games with a rout of visiting Pittsburgh. Peralta (14-5) leads the National League in victories. Sal Frelick and Brice Turang had solo homers off Pirates ace Paul Skenes (7-9), who entered with an MLB-best 1.94 ERA, but was tagged for four runs on six hits in four innings. Christian Yelich, Andrew Vaughn and Caleb Durbin also homered for the Brewers. Four Milwaukee pitchers held Pittsburgh to four hits. Mariners 1, Orioles 0 Seattle's George Kirby held host Baltimore to three hits in seven innings and the Mariners earned their eighth consecutive victory. Kirby (8-5) faced just two batters over the minimum during his stint. Andres Munoz secured his 28th save despite issuing a two-out walk to Gunnar Henderson in the ninth and then a single by Adley Rutschman. Dean Kremer (8-9) was the hard-luck loser for Baltimore after tossing eight innings of one-run ball. A first-inning run held up as Josh Naylor delivered a two-out single to drive in the game's lone run. Red Sox 14, Astros 1 The Red Sox scored 12 runs in the final four innings and Dustin May twirled six shutout frames as Boston posted a win at Houston. Carlos Narvaez, Alex Bregman and Roman Anthony all went deep for the Red Sox, the latter two homering for the second day in a row. Narvaez and Wilyer Abreu each had three RBIs. May (7-8) allowed five hits and issued one walk while recording eight strikeouts. Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti (1-3) allowed just one hit and two runs over five innings but walked five. Jeremy Pena went 3-for-5. Yankees 9, Twins 1 Carlos Rodon allowed one hit in seven outstanding innings, Giancarlo Stanton homered and collected four hits, and New York trounced visiting Minnesota. Rodon (12-7) cruised after the first three hitters reached in a 31-pitch opening inning, allowing one baserunner in the remainder of his outing. The left-hander gave up one run as New York won its second straight game. Stanton homered for the second straight game and drove in three runs. Aaron Judge homered for the first time since July 23 and Anthony Volpe hit a tiebreaking three-run homer. Minnesota's Austin Martin opened the game with a single and scored the Twins' lone run. Rookie Travis Adams (1-2) allowed four runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings during his second career start. Blue Jays 5, Cubs 1 Ernie Clement hit a three-run home run, and Toronto defeated visiting Chicago. Daulton Varsho added a solo homer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had three singles for the Blue Jays in the opener of a three-game series that kicks off a six-game homestand. Jose Berrios (9-4) finished with no runs allowed on two hits. Toronto scored once in the first against Javier Assad (0-1), who was making his first start of the season. Bo Bichette, Guerrero, and Alejandro Kirk singled in the first against Assad, who had been out all season with a strained left oblique. The Cubs fall to 1-3 during their current six-game road trip. Guardians 4, Marlins 3 Jose Ramirez hit two solo homers, including the go-ahead blast in the eighth inning off Calvin Faucher, as Cleveland edged visiting Miami in their three-game series opener. Ramirez finished 3-for-4, leading the Guardians to their 10th win in 12 games since July 29. Kyle Manzardo went deep for the third time in two games for Cleveland. Guardians starter Logan Allen worked five innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits. Cade Smith (5-4) retired all four batters he faced to earn the victory, while Marlins co-closer Calvin Faucher (3-3) took the loss, giving up one run in one inning. Reds 6, Phillies 1 Brady Singer allowed three hits over six shutout innings while Miguel Andujar homered for the second time in three games to lead host Cincinnati past Philadelphia. Spencer Steer doubled and drove in three runs and Jose Trevino went 2-for-4 and drove in two as the Reds won for the third time in four games, extending their MLB-best streak of not being swept this season to 39 series. With heavy rain falling, Bryce Harper launched a towering homer, his 18th, to the seats in right with two outs in the ninth to end the shutout bid. The Phillies had their four-game win streak snapped and lost for the first time in five tries on their 10-game, three-city road trip. Royals 8, Nationals 5 Vinnie Pasquantino clubbed a three-run homer and had five RBIs, and Michael Wacha allowed two runs while pitching into the sixth inning as Kansas City beat visiting Washington. Jonathan India added a two-run homer as Kansas City won its fourth straight home game. It was the third time this season Pasquantino recorded at least five RBIs in a game. Meanwhile, Wacha won his third straight start, lasting 5 2/3 innings. James Wood and CJ Abrams each had two hits with an RBI for Washington, which has lost 10 of 13. The Nationals' Mitchell Parker (7-13) yielded only two hits but three walks aided in his surrendering five runs in 5 1/3 innings. Rockies 3, Cardinals 0 Kyle Freeland and Victor Vodnik combined on a six-hitter as visiting Colorado blanked St. Louis to snap an eight-game losing streak. Freeland (3-12) allowed just five hits over 7 1/3 innings and Vodnik got the last five outs to earn his third save. Hunter Goodman hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning to provide all the offense the Rockies needed. Kyle Farmer added an RBI single. Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore (6-10) allowed three runs on four hits in four-plus innings. Brendan Donovan had two of St. Louis' six hits. Diamondbacks 3, Rangers 2 Ketel Marte's solo home run with two outs in the ninth inning was the difference as Arizona came from behind to beat Texas in the middle game of a three-game interleague match set in Arlington, Texas. Marte's long ball came off Rangers reliever Danny Coulombe (2-1), who had not allowed a home run all season. Marte had two hits and two RBIs as the Diamondbacks won for the fourth time in their past five games. Tyler Locklear also had two of Arizona's eight hits and Blaze Alexander added a solo homer. Texas managed just four hits -- only one after the third inning -- and lost for the fifth time in six games. --Field Level Media
