Gorzelanny Hit by Liner in Cubs' Win

I was pretty sure it had to happen; the Chicago Cubs took the series from the Pittsburgh Pirates by winning the third game of their three-game series 5-3. It gave new interim manager Mike Quade his sixth win out of his first nine games and two out of three series; quite a start. The thing is, I thought the Cubs were going to sweep the Pirates.

Carrie Muskat has posted an article on the Cubs' website titled "Busy Quade wins No. 6 as Cubs skipper."

As Muskat reports, the Cubs were beneficiaries of triple RBI doubles from Koyle Hill, Kosuke Fukudome and Tyler Colvin.

The game was earmarked by a very scary moment. Cubs starting pitcher Tom Gorzelanny threw a pitch to Pirates left fielder Jose Tabata in the third inning. Tabata hit a screaming line drive back at Gorzelanny, hitting him and sending him sinking to the dirt. The stadium took a collective inhale. It appeared from all sides that Gorzelanny had been hit in the head. As it turned out, he had been hit in his pitching hand and, as a result, he left the game. Gorzelanny has had X-rays and so far they have been inconclusive. As bad as it was, it obviously could have been much worse.

The winning pitcher for the Cubs was Thomas Diamond, who is a rookie. He gave up a solo home run right after coming into the game for Gorzelanny, and gave up another run as well, but got the win nevertheless. In fact, it was his first win.

The Pirates loaded the bases in the eighth inning, and Carlos Marmol was brought in. He walked in a run but ultimately got the Cubs through the deep valley to the win.

As exciting as the game was, and the fact that the Cubs are winning, the big news revolves around who will be picked to take over for Lou Piniella on a permanent basis. Will Quade get the job due to his good work so far?

As this unfolds, the Cubs will enter a Labor Day weekend series with the New York Mets at Wrigley Field. That should be a lot of fun.

While the Pirates took the Cubs to the woodshed this year, the Cubs ended the year against them on a high note. It is comforting to see them playing like they care.

References:

Chicago Cubs' Website, Carrie Muskat, "Busy Quade wins No. 6 as Cubs skipper"