Marlins’ Gordon sticking to his guns, will keep bunting
The bunt is one of Dee Gordon’s favorite weapons.
Apparently, Cubs pitcher John Lackey doesn’t care for them.
When Gordon bunted his way on in the third inning on Wednesday afternoon, Lackey took exception and gave Gordon a mouthful.
“He got mad because I bunted,” Gordon said. “He got mad at my game.”
Gordon had 16 bunt singles in 2015, when he led the league in hitting.
“Nobody’s going to stop me from playing the way I play,” Gordon said. “I’m going to bunt as many times as I want to. Ain’t nobody going to tell me what to do. I’m grown.”
Gordon said he doesn’t recall what Lackey said specifically.
But Gordon said he told Lackey that everything would be “all right.”
“I didn’t get into it with him,” Gordon said. “I don’t know what he wants me to do. It’s my game.”
Gordon went 3 for 5 and stole two bases on Wednesday in what was his best performance since returning from his 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. None of his hits left the infield.
“I believe in myself maybe more than anybody on earth,” Gordon said. “I knew when I came back I had to be ready to play.”
HISTORY ON HOLD
Ichiro Suzuki’s quest for 3,000 major-league hits remained stalled at 2,998 after he popped out in his lone plate appearance on Wednesday, a pinch-hitting at-bat in the seventh.
Ichiro has gone hitless in his past 10 at-bats and is 2 for his past 20.
UNFAMILIAR FEELING
Jose Fernandez isn’t used to losing.
But the Marlins ace is riding a two-game losing streak for only the second time in his career after coming up short Tuesday night in Miami’s 3-2 loss to the Cubs.
“I’m not a machine,” Fernandez said. “I don’t really care about my own results or my own numbers. I honestly don’t give a [darn] about it. I care about us winning a ballgame and whatever it takes.”
Fernandez lost back-to-back starts in the same season for only the second time. The only other time he did that was in April 2013, when he lost his third and fourth career starts.
By striking out six on Tuesday, Fernandez raised his season total to 190, a career high.
COMING UP
▪ Thursday: Off day.
▪ Friday: Marlins RHP David Phelps (5-5, 2.65 ERA) at Colorado Rockies LHP Jorge De La Rosa (7-7, 5.51), 8:40 p.m., Coors Field.
▪ Saturday: Marlins RHP Andrew Cashner (4-7, 4.54) at Rockies RHP Chad Bettis (9-6, 5.16), 8:10 p.m., Coors Field.
This story was originally published August 3, 2016 at 8:32 PM with the headline "Marlins’ Gordon sticking to his guns, will keep bunting."