SAN FRANCISCO — It took one double and an errant throw for the game to slip from the Giants Tuesday night.
Tied 0-0 in the top of the seventh inning, Chicaco Cubs shortstop Addison Russell doubled off Giants starter Derek Holland to lead off. Reliever Sam Dyson replaced Holland, who yielded eight strikeouts in 6.1 innings in one of his best performances of the season.
Four pitches into Dyson’s appearance, he threw a changeup in the dirt, which catcher Nick Hundley failed to scoop as Russell sprinted toward third. Hundley rose to his feet, gathered the ball, and flung an off-balance throw that skipped past Pablo Sandoval at third base. Russell trotted home to score the only run the Cubs needed.
The #Cubs defeat #Giants by a 2-0 score. The winning run was scored by @Addison_Russell on a WP, error. Jose #Quintana worked 6 scoreless innings…#MLB @MLB #ChicaoCubs @Cubs @SFGiants #SFGiants #EverybodyIn #CHC #SF #CHCvsSF #FlyTheW #FlytheL #CubsWinhttps://t.co/7o1eJ3tHlX pic.twitter.com/kVCrTuHG8m
— Joey Wagner (@TheTruthSwagner) July 11, 2018
They would add an insurance run off Cubs catcher Victor Caratini’s RBI double in the seventh inning to cement their 2-0 victory over the Giants.
“(Hundley) probably tried to do a little too much,” Bruce Bochy said postgame. “(The ball) bounced away, and Russell has speed. I’m sure if (Hundley) had to do it over, he holds that ball. He is trying to make a play. You want these guys always trying to make a play, but at the same time that’s probably one he wished he would have held.”
Buster Posey has started just 74 of the team’s 94 games this year, the result of a persistent hip issue that will sideline him for the 2018 MLB All-Star Game next Tuesday. Hundley has filled in admirably, compiling a .255 average with eight homers and 24 RBI in just 141 at-bats.
Hundley’s error Tuesday night was ultimately costly, but he redeemed himself one batter later, throwing out Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber. Hundley has played well defensively lately, gunning down four of the past seven runners who have attempted to steal on him.
“He has been throwing the ball very well, made a couple beautiful throws to second base,” Bochy said. “(He) did a great job behind the plate tonight. It’s a tough way to give up the first run. You are hoping to keep it there, but they end up getting an insurance run.”
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