Wednesday, 4 a.m.
By now, the Chicago Cubs have be wondering what all the fuss about the Tampa Bay Rays is.
The Cubs, the bottom-feeders of the NL Central, beat the Rays for the second straight gameTuesday night. This time, it was 2-1, a loss that may leave the Rays wondering if this is the onset of a slump.
The Cubs have to be full of themselves after a second straight one-run win.
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The power the Rays supposedly have? In two games, they have no home runs. They have just eight hits and only one run.
Shane McClanahan? The Rays' stopper couldn't plug the leak this time. He lost his first game of the year (against eight wins) when a defensive misplay cost the Rays. In the sixth inning. Ian Happ hit a popup that either Josh Lowe or Brandon Lowe could have had, but neither caught it. Happ ended up on second base, and he later scored on a bloop single by Mike Tauchman.'
The speed? Rays' shortstop Wander Franco was thrown out at the plate in the first inning. The Rays struggled all night to score.
Defense? Rays' misplays have led to two of the three runs the Cubs have scored in the series.
“It was a pretty quiet night offensively," said Rays' manager Kevin Cash. "That’s back to back days. The Cubs have done a good job making pitches."
In two games, the Rays are two-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
The Rays, just 13-12 on the road this year, try to avoid a sweep today at Wrigley Field. Zach Eflin will start for the Rays against Chicago's Justin Steele.