Morning Box Score: Cubs Win With Giant Assist; White Sox Fail Quintana
By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 27, 2013 3:00PM
Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo was a ninth-inning hero in the City by the Bay, with an assist from Giants first baseman Brandon Belt.
Belt had a "Leon Durham moment" (or a Bill Buckner moment, depending on how you want to play it) when he let a routine grounder by Rizzo roll right through his legs. Julio Borbon and Dioner Navarro then scored on the Belt error to give the Cubs the win. With help from Rizzo's heroics, Edwin Jackson ultimately earned a no decision, but continued his strong pitching as of late. In his last five starts, Jackson is 3-1 with a 2.51 ERA .
An inability to drive in runs? Check. A wasted quality start by a White Sox pitcher? Check. Poor fielding and mental lapses by the home team? Check.
That's all you need to know about Friday night's contest at U.S. Cellular Field. The Sox were 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position, thus wasting a solid performance by Jose Quintana and making Kansas City look like world-beaters once again.
Quintana allowed two runs and struck out five in seven innings but, like the rest of the Sox's rotation, also had the misfortune of being supported by a feast-or-famine offense. At least Conor Gillaspie's home run in the eighth inning helped the South Siders avoid a shutout.