CHICAGO – For much of Thursday night, Pirates starter Joe Musgrove discovered some interesting ways to keep the Cubs from scoring in Thursday's 2-0 defeat.
He applauded as right fielder Melky Cabrera made a lunging catch on a fast-sinking fly ball that robbed Kris Bryant of extra bases. He then pitched out of trouble in the fifth inning when he stranded runners on second and third.
But his escape act in the sixth inning was undoubtedly his best effort -- albeit with a bit of good fortune and a well-placed pitch. After allowing a lead-off single to Ben Zobrist and a walk to Bryant, Musgrove finally recorded an out when Anthony Rizzo advanced the runners to second and third with a ground out.
With just one out and the game in its sixth scoreless inning, Musgrove anticipated Cubs shortstop Javier Baez would be looking for a fastball that he could drive and produce the game’s first runs. Instead, Musgrove threw a sinker in off the plate. Baez sent a ground ball to third baseman Jung Ho Kang, who fielded the ball and threw home to prevent Zobrist from scoring.
But Baez, who believed he had fouled the ball off his foot, failed to run to first base and was tagged out by catcher Francisco Cervelli for an unconventional 5-2-2 inning-ending double play.
For his part, Musgrove said he didn’t even realize Baez never left the batter’s box until he had been tagged out by Cervelli.
"That was my biggest pitch of the night, I think," Musgrove said afterward. "... At that point, I kind of knew we were going to have the double play because there was no way they can reward him the base and there was no way they can make us do it over. So there was a little bit of luck there and a good, executed pitch."
Added Pirates manager Clint Hurdle: “I don’t know what happened [with Baez]…but [Musgrove] made the pitch he needed to make to get [Baez] to hit the ground ball to third.”
As umpires huddled to decide what had happened and what the result of the play should be, Cubs manager Joe Maddon, who was ejected in the fifth inning for arguing balls and strikes, sensed things would not work out in his team’s favor.
“Honestly, [the ball] could've skimmed the top of [Baez’s] shoe -- possibly,” Maddon said. “That's what I saw on the replay, but of course that's not reviewable. That's something that has to be discernable to the umpires very quickly. As soon as it happened, I said, 'This is going to be a double play.' As soon as he didn't run and our guy was out at home plate, I thought it was going to be a double play.
“[Baez has] got to sell it. And it may have hit him -- you'd have to ask him. It was not totally visible, I didn't think, on the replay.”