After a day full of rumors and speculation the Cubs came out flat and uninspired against A.J. Burnett. Burnett took advantage and was four outs away from pitching his second career no-hitter before Adrian Cardenas lined a two out single in the 8th to break it up. That was the only thing left undecided by the 8th inning tonight as the Pirates, thanks to a first inning grand slam by Neil Walker were cruising to a 5-0 victory. Casey Coleman got the start for the Cubs thanks to Ryan Dempster being traded earlier in the day to the Texas Rangers. Coleman didn’t seem ready to go at the start either as he gave up four runs in the first on the way to his second loss of the season. Coleman only lasted 4.2 innings thanks to spotty command, he gave up four runs on seven hits while walking four and striking out five. As you could already guess the Cubs did nothing at the plate as Burnett had everything working, a brutal two-seem fastball that took up residence on the inside corner and a curve ball that vanished all night. Games like this happen, especially after a long day of wondering who is the next guy to be traded. Definitely not taking anything away from Burnett, he was outstanding tonight. Full box score and highlights after the jump.
Game Highlights:
Nice Play by Rizzo
That’s it.
Thanks for reading,
– George
Born on Third 