If you had four in the “how many runs will the Cubs score in the first inning” pool last night, you’re in luck. They managed a two-out rally, good for four runs against the Cards’ Adam Wainwright. That’s all the Cubs would score last night, but it was enough as Jeff Samardzija pitched into the ninth and Kevin Gregg managed to get the save. The save didn’t come without drama, as the Cards’ Shane Robinson was called for interference for sliding out of the baseline on a double-play. If you haven’t seen the play, you can watch it here. That wasn’t the first time that a Cardinal has tried to take out Starlin Castro in St. Louis with a not-quite-clean slide (Matt Holliday, anyone?), and Starlin didn’t take too kindly to this one.

“I understand where you can try to break up the double play in that kind of situation, but not like that,” Castro said. “(That was) not even close. I couldn’t throw the ball because he tried to kill me.”

(snip)

“I didn’t know right away,” Castro said, “but when I saw the replay, it’s unbelievable.”

Though Starlin still doesn’t consider the Holliday slide a dirty one, even though I do.

“Not even close,” Castro said. “(Holliday runs) hard, but it’s professional, like everybody does on the team, trying to break up the double play. But (be) professional. Don’t try to hurt nobody.”

As for the Shark, his performance was welcome against the team with the best record in baseball.

“It’s the best-hitting team in baseball and he shut them down to a solo home run. He was as good as he has been all year, and when you can do that against that offense, you’ve had one heck of a game,” Sveum said.

“He wanted to finish and I gave him the chance, it didn’t work out. Those guys are good hitters. (Yadier) Molina is taking hitting to another level.”

Samardzija only allowed one fly ball out in the game, which ended the eighth inning.

» Continue reading “Chicago Cubs Wednesday Headlines: Cubs Win, Cards Still Jerks”