Associated Press Associated Press ADVERTISING CHICAGO — One thought kept crossing A.J. Burnett’s mind as he made his dramatic push for a no-hitter. He wanted it — badly. Instead, he will have to settle for a close call and maybe
Associated Press
CHICAGO — One thought kept crossing A.J. Burnett’s mind as he made his dramatic push for a no-hitter.
He wanted it — badly.
Instead, he will have to settle for a close call and maybe the best performance of his career.
Burnett pitched a one-hitter, Neil Walker drove in five runs and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat Chicago 5-0 on Tuesday night, hours after the Cubs traded ace Ryan Dempster.
Burnett started thinking about a no-hitter in the third or fourth inning.
“I’m not going to lie,” he said. “So, it’s one of those things that you want to do, you want to take pride in, but at the same time a lot of luck’s got to go into it. I had a lot of great plays behind me. … Bottom line is it’s a ‘W’ for us.”
Burnett just about stole the spotlight after the Cubs traded their best pitcher to Texas just before the non-waiver deadline. His bid for a second career no-hitter and the sixth in the majors this season ended with two outs in the eighth.
He had already hit Darwin Barney in the helmet with one out before striking out Luis Valbuena, but his no-hit bid ended at the hands of a rookie when pinch-hitter Adrian Cardenas lined a 3-2 pitch to right for a single after two close pitches were called balls.
Burnett said he was angry about a 2-2 curve that just missed outside, and he appeared to be yelling at the umpire after the hit. But he struck out David DeJesus with runners on first and third to end the inning. That’s probably not much consolation for the veteran, who pitched a wild no-hitter for the Marlins against San Diego on May 12, 2001.
He walked nine in that game, two in this one while striking out eight.
“I always think about it,” he said. “I want to clean that one up. That was a wild one.”
That a Miami-area native, who was 13-years-old back then, broke it up was a bit of an ironic twist. Not since Sandy Koufax did it to them in September 1965 have the Cubs been no-hit, and the last no-hitter at Wrigley Field came when Milt Pappas pitched one for Chicago against San Diego in September 1972.
Burnett sure made it interesting, though. His curve was as sharp as it’s ever been, and he just missed the eighth no-hitter in franchise history.
“I thought he had a shot,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “He was just so efficient, pinpoint command. He pitched the left-handers so extremely well tonight. Fastball gloveside, his curveball was sharp for strikes, for chase. Great tempo — 25 out of 31 first-pitch strikes. The pitch count was in a great place. That’s one of the best games I’ve seen pitched ever.”
Cubs manager Dale Sveum was impressed, too.
“He probably threw 60, 65 curveballs,” he said. “Even his fastball, he kept it out of the middle of the plate. We hit a few balls hard. A couple balls without the wind might have been home runs, but he pitched a heck of a game.”
He retired the first 11 batters before walking Anthony Rizzo, and as the game wore on, the sense that something special was happening filled the old ballpark.
There was a loud gasp when Alfonso Soriano sent a drive to deep left-center in the seventh that Andrew McCutchen caught, and first baseman Garrett Jones then made a sliding stop on Bryan LaHair’s grounder to end the inning. The Cubs got some relief when Cardenas finally broke through, but even that was tempered by the reality that they got shut down.
Cardenas faced Burnett in late May and didn’t do so well, going 0-for-3 with two errors in a 1-0 loss.
“I remember him and seeing how he was working throughout that game,” he said. “When I was able to get that hit, it was great but it was very short-lived because we lost 5-0. … It’s definitely sweet to break up the no-hitter here at our place. That’s something you don’t want to be a part of.”
While Burnett cruised along, Casey Coleman had a rough night after being recalled from the minors. Pitching in Dempster’s place, he lasted just 4 2-3 innings, allowing four runs and seven hits.
Walker quickly put the Cubs ahead in the first when he drove a 2-1 pitch to right for a grand slam — the second of his career and second at Wrigley Field.
He also had a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
Burnett’s performance overshadowed the big news before the game, with Dempster going to the Rangers for two prospects.
The Pirates were a busy bunch, too. They acquired former All-Star first baseman Gaby Sanchez from Florida and sent third baseman Casey McGehee to the Yankees for reliever Chad Qualls.
BRAVES 7, MARLINS 1
ATLANTA — Kris Medlen had a successful return to the rotation, Brian McCann homered and Atlanta extended its winning streak to seventh games.
REDS 7, PADRES 6
CINCINNATI — Ryan Ludwick drove in four runs with a homer and a single and Brandon Phillips hit a tiebreaking solo shot in the seventh inning that got Cincinnati back to winning.
PHILLIES 8, NATIONALS 0
WASHINGTON — Cliff Lee threw seven innings and scored on Jimmy Rollins’ inside-the-park home run to lead Philadelphia.
BREWERS 10, ASTROS 1
MILWAUKEE — Aramis Ramirez and Corey Hart hit three-run homers for Milwaukee.
CARDINALS 11, ROCKIES 6
DENVER — Matt Holliday homered, doubled and drove in four runs, and Kyle Lohse worked through an erratic outing to win his fifth consecutive decision for St. Louis.
D-BACKS 8, DODGERS 2
LOS ANGELES — Paul Goldschmidt homered in the first inning for the second straight game, Miguel Montero added a three-run shot and rookie Wade Miley pitched eight dominant innings for Arizona.
GIANTS 4, METS 1
SAN FRANCISCO — Tim Lincecum struck out seven in seven innings and San Francisco took advantage of a two-run error by shortstop Ruben Tejada to snap a season-long five-game losing streak.
O’s handle Yanks
NEW YORK — Chris Davis hit a go-ahead grand slam in a seven-run second inning and the Baltimore Orioles rallied from five runs down to beat the New York Yankees 11-5.
ANGELS 6, RANGERS 2
ARLINGTON, Texas — Albert Pujols hit two home runs and Jered Weaver won his eighth straight start.
ROYALS 8, INDIANS 3
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Alcides Escobar drove in three runs, Luke Hochevar pitched six solid innings and the Royals beat the Indians to snap a five-game losing streak.
RED SOX 4, TIGERS 1 (5)
BOSTON — Clayton Mortensen pitched 2 2-3 shutout innings after Josh Beckett left with back spasms and the Red Sox beat the Tigers in a game halted by rain in the top of the sixth inning.
WHITE SOX 4, TWINS 3
MINNEAPOLIS — A.J. Pierzynski hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning and the White Sox held on to beat the Twins.
RAYS 8, ATHLETICS 0
OAKLAND, Calif. — James Shields pitched a three-hitter, B.J. Upton drove in two runs and Tampa Bay broke out of its prolonged offensive slump.
MARINERS 7, BLUE JAYS 2
SEATTLE — Dustin Ackley drove in three runs and Jason Vargas pitched seven strong innings to lead the Mariners to their sixth consecutive victory.
