James Russell’s pitching helps Chicago Cubs defeat Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5 – MLB Update
Chicago Cubs’ relieving pitcher James Russell put in a brilliant pitching performance and did not give up any run on two hits in the eighth inning which resulted in the Cubs’ 6-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field, Chicago on April 5.
Russell struck-out the Diamondbacks’ pinch hitter Russell Branyan in the seventh inning. Russell offered just two hits in one inning and had 1-0 Win-Loss record. He then allowed a single run to Willie Bloomquist and the game tied at 4-4. In the end, the
Cubs’ closer Sean Marshall had his first save in the ninth inning.
James locked down the Diamondbacks by striking-out Chris Young to close the eighth inning and giving up a double play to Miguel Montero. Russell put in a tremendous effort and pitched with speed and accuracy to give the Diamondbacks’ batters something to
think about.
The Diamondbacks posted runs in the seventh inning of Russell’s pitching. It was considered as a bumpy start in the seventh but he took the concentration of Manager Mike Quade in the eighth inning.
Manager Quade commented on Russell’s performance and said, “You can't leave here without talking about Russ. We were in a bit of a mess pitching wise and he picked us up. I absolutely needed him. Him giving us the eighth, the finishing up the way he did
was fantastic.”
The Cubs’ short-stop Starlin Castro had two runs in the second inning. Jeff Baker made a one-out double to left-field against the Diamondbacks’ reliever Sam Demel and took a 5-4 lead in the seventh inning. The Cubs’ centre-fielder Marlon Byrd had three runs
with four at-bats.
Chicago’s starter Andrew Cashner had a strong season this year, as he played his first game of his career in the Major Leagues. He had two strike-outs in just over five innings before suffering from a right shoulder injury. He allowed only a single run on
two hits and also giving a third inning home-run to Ryan Roberts.
The Diamondbacks’ manager Kirk Gibson was upset with his team performance and said, “It was great to see us fight back, but we're here to fight back and win. There's no consolation. The object is to win the game, we have to execute better in those situations."
Tyler Colvin and Joe Paterson both put a combined effort to make a run by walking towards the bases. The Diamondbacks removed a 4-1 shortfall in the start of seventh inning as Bloomquist forced two runs with a two-out single. Barry Enright, the starter for
the Diamondbacks, allowed four runs on seven hits. He had three strike-outs and three walks over six innings.
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