Smith dazzles once again, but Miami Marlins lose to Cubs on Bryant walk-off homer
.JPG "Miami Marlins starter Caleb Smith delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Tuesday, May 7, 2019, in Chicago.")
It has essentially become ritual at this point.
Every fifth game, Caleb Smith makes his way to the mound, puts together a solid performance and puts the Miami Marlins in a position to win.
Tuesday night at Wrigley Field was no different.
The 27-year-old left-hander, who has emerged as one of the top starting pitchers in Major League Baseball through the first month of the year, put together yet another gem, striking out a career-high 11 batters while giving up just two earned runs on five hits over 6 2/3 innings — his sixth consecutive quality start — before exiting with the game tied.
But this time, the Marlins couldn’t give him enough support as the Chicago Cubs walked off with a 5-2 win on a Kris Bryant two-out, two-strike three-run homer off reliever Adam Conley. The Marlins drop to 10-25, while the Cubs improve to 20-13.
Conley, a left-handed reliever put himself in a bad situation from the start of the ninth, walking Jason Heyward to lead off the frame and then hitting Kyle Schwarber — both lefties. Pinch-hitter Daniel Descalso, another lefty, moved both runners over on a sacrifice bunt. An Albert Almora Jr. groundball to shortstop Miguel Rojas got Heyward out at home for the second out.
Bryant worked himself into a 1-2 count, taking a ball and then fouling off two pitches, before ripping a 98.7 mph fastball — Conley’s hardest thrown pitch of the night — 404 feet to center field.
“I’d like to throw that ball a little higher,” Conley said of the walk-off pitch. “If you go back and look at it, I was pounding up a lot. It’s my best offer. And especially on that pitch. It was my best bullet. I didn’t quite get it up there as much. [Bryant’s] really quick to the ball in, so I’m trying to get the ball up there where even if he gets it, it’s a pop up. If I throw that ball 6 inches up, it’s a pop up.”
It spoiled another great night from Smith, who scattered five hits on the night and gave up his two runs on a Javier Baez sacrifice fly in the first that scored Bryant, who tripled two batters earlier, and a solo home run to Almora Jr. to lead off the third.
Smith settled in following the home run, allowing just four more baserunners on two hits and two walks. One of those hits, however, was quickly nullified. Baez attempted to stretch a leadoff single to right field into a double after the ball bounced off a diving Brian Anderson’s glove. Anderson quickly threw to Miguel Rojas covering second base for the out.
Smith threw a career-high 122 pitches, 72 of those went for strikes. He had 20 swings and misses. His ERA is now 2.11 on the year.
The Marlins had all of their offensive production in the second off Cubs starter Jon Lester. Curtis Granderson reached on a one-out fielding error by Schwarber and Martin Prado drove him home on a double into right-center field. Prado then came home on a two-out single by Jorge Alfaro. The Marlins had a prime opportunity to score again in the fifth when Granderson led off with a double off the center-field wall and advanced to third on a throwing error, but the next three batters went out on a shallow fly out, popout and groundout to strand Granderson at third.
This story was originally published May 7, 2019 at 11:17 PM.
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