Cubs takeaways: What we learned as new-look pitching staff shuts down Orioles
CHICAGO — The Cubs are 1-0 and have yet to allow a run in the post-MLB trade deadline era.
On the other hand, they’ve also only scored one run …
The Cubs showcased their new-look pitching staff Friday afternoon in a 1-0 shutout of the rebuilding Baltimore Orioles at Wrigley Field.
Ian Happ drove in the only run with a second-inning sacrifice fly that plated Carson Kelly. But that was enough for the Cubs, who improved to 64-45 on the season after winning a game that took just 1 hour, 49 minutes to play — tied for the fastest in MLB this season.
Here are three takeaways from the series- and homestand-opening win.
Honoring Ryno
Friday’s game obviously was important for a Cubs team in the thick of a playoff race. But it also was about something much larger than a single game — paying tribute to a Cubs legend.
Ryne Sandberg died Monday at the age of 65, and Friday marked the first game at Wrigley since then.
The Cubs honored Sandberg throughout the afternoon, starting with a 23 stenciled into the grass behind home plate.
The entire Cubs team lined up outside the third base dugout during the pregame video tribute to the late Hall of Famer.
The Cubs also held a moment of silence before the game — for 23 seconds, in honor of Sandberg’s now-retired jersey number.
One of the coolest moments was three of Sandberg’s former teammates — Rick Sutcliffe, Shawon Dunston and Jody Davis — bringing out the official second base for the game.
The Cubs will wear a No. 23 patch on their uniforms for the rest of the season, and each player will don a No. 23 jersey during Saturday’s game.
Cruisin’ Cade
As for the game itself, rookie Cade Horton continued his ascent toward a potential frontline starter.
The 23-year-old right-hander spun five shutout innings against the Orioles, needing only 71 pitches. He walked three and allowed two singles while lowering his season ERA to 3.42.
Horton hasn’t allowed a run in nearly a month — since July 9. He’s currently working on a 17.2-inning scoreless streak, and has a 1.26 ERA since the start of July.
He’s blossoming into one of the Cubs’ most reliable starters — at just the right time, too, as the NL playoff race heats up.
Quite the debut
Andrew Kittredge knew he would pitch at Wrigley Field this weekend … though he thought it would be against the Cubs, not for them.
Kittredge was traded from the Orioles to the Cubs on Thursday, so he had to switch hotels and become acquainted with his new club.
The 35-year-old right-hander endeared himself to Cubs fans in a big way Friday, tossing a perfect seventh inning in relief. He needed just 10 pitches to dispatch the middle of the Orioles’ order, racking up two strikeouts in the process.
The Cubs’ bullpen was strong behind Horton. Caleb Thielbar threw a perfect nine-pitch sixth inning, Kittredge came on for the seventh, and Brad Keller worked around a walk in the eighth.
Daniel Palencia came on to toss the ninth to pick up his 15th save of the season. He allowed a two-out double, and the next batter hit a fly ball to the wall, but Happ came away with a catch against the ivy to preserve the victory.
