The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs were under the lights a second consecutive night at Wrigley Field, which is a rarity. Wednesday’s game served as the precursor to Julio Urias making his second career Major League start.
Jon Lester got off to an ominous start, Kiké Hernandez pulling his second pitch of the game into the left field bleachers for a solo home run. Corey Seager hit a one-out single, but was stranded by Howie Kendrick and Trayce Thompson.
Bolsinger’s second pitch was also on he’d like to get back as it hit Dexter Fowler on the his right arm. Jason Heyward then drew a four-pitch walk to put Bolsinger in an early jam.
He worked his way out of it by retiring the next three batters faced, including two by strikeout. Lester received the benefit of some strike calls in the second inning en route to striking out the side consisting of, Joc Pederson, A.J. Ellis and Carl Crawford.
Javier Baez was hit by a pitch with one out in the bottom half of the inning, then proceeded to steal second base. David Ross was called out on strikes and Lester rolled a grounder over to first base to end the inning with the Dodgers still holding a 1-0 lead.
Fowler drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the third to base a second time in the game. After Heyward lined out to right field, Kris Bryant clubbed a two-run homer to give the Cubs the lead.
CONTINUE READING: Dodgers struggle at the plate, Casey Fien impresses yet again
Trayce Thompson turned a relatively routine single to center into a two-out hustle double in the fourth inning. His effort didn’t amount to anything, however, as Pederson grounded out to end the inning.
Ellis led off the fifth with a base hit to left field, only for Lester to retire the next three batters. Bolsinger ended his fifth and final inning of work with back-to-back strikeouts to give him six in the game.
Lester continued to sail, retiring Justin Turner, Seager and Kendrick in order in the sixth inning. Pedro Baez worked his way through the heart of the Cubs’ lineup in the bottom of the sixth, picking up one strikeout.
Baez tossed a second scoreless inning of relief in the seventh as he again set the Cubs down in order. Meanwhile, Lester ran his streak of consecutive batters retired to 12 by getting through the eighth without issue, bookending the inning with strikeouts.
Casey Fien collected back-to-back strikeouts in the bottom of the eighth. Heyward then drove a single into center, becoming the first baserunner Fien allowed to reach since joining the Dodgers. He got Bryant swinging to strikeout the side.
The Cubs squeaked by with a 2-1 victory as Lester finished off his complete game by retiring Turner, Seager and Kendrick in the ninth.