|
PITTSBURGH -- It never was a contest. Billed as two teams that would fight tooth and nail for the division title, only one showed up this week, and it was the Chicago Cubs. A statement was made over the course of three days -- even if one wasn’t intended. It would be one thing if the Pittsburgh Pirates had made it close, but they were never closer than within four runs of the Cubs at the end of any game. It was sheer domination. Final tally for the series after a 6-2 win on Wednesday: 20-5. Jon Lester joined Jake Arrieta and Jason Hammel in shutting down the Pirates' potent offense. Any time in the series Pittsburgh threatened -- including Wednesday afternoon -- the Cubs starters had an answer. Lester got into a bases-loaded jam in the fourth, then promptly got out of it with no damage. Having thrown his glove with the ball in it to first base to get an out is a funny afterthought after a shutout performance. It’s not the first time Lester has done that, and it’s not the first time he’s shut down the opposition this year. His ERA is 1.58 after 5 2/3 shutout innings. The night before, Arrieta walked the first two batters of the game, but they would be two of only four runners he allowed. Hammel was the only one to give up runs, but they hardly made a dent in the outcome on Monday. Time and again this week, Cubs pitching stymied the Pirates. In total the three starters threw 17 2/3 innings in the series, giving up two runs. That’s called a dominating performance by a dominating team that is the first to 20 wins in the big leagues.
|
