HUTCHINSON FANS 12 IN SHUTOUT OF CUBS
Surging Jays Gain in WC Chase
TORONTO, Sept. 10 (AP) – Drew Hutchinson struck out 12 Chicago Cubs en route to his first shutout of the season, leading the Toronto Blue Jays to a 1-0 victory at Rogers Centre. The Jays are now two games clear of the Mariners in the race for the final wildcard slot in the American League, as Seattle fell to the Houston Astros, 6-1. Toronto is red hot; the Blue Jays have won 12 of their last 14 games. Hutchinson’s complete game shutout is just the second of the year for the Jays; R.A. Dickey holds the other.
The game turned out to be a pitcher’s duel between Hutchinson and Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks. The two matched goose eggs until the bottom of the sixth inning when Jose Bautista belted a one-out solo home run off Hendricks. The blast, Bautista’s 33rd of the season, would prove to be the game’s only run.
Chicago’s best scoring opportunities against Hutchinson came in the early going. In the first, Luis Valbuena drew a one-out walk and Jorge Soler followed with a double to right-center, chasing Valbuena to third. But Hutchinson fanned Wellington Castillo to end the frame. And in the second inning, Ryan Kalish led off with a triple into the right field corner. But Hutchinson proceeded to strike out Arismendy Alcantrara, Mike Olt and Logan Watkins to escape damage.
Chris Coughlan led off the third for the Cubs by drawing a walk—the only free pass Hutchinson issued all game—and then was thrown out trying to steal second by Jays catcher Dioner Navarro. Chicago didn’t have another baserunner until the seventh, as Hutchinson retired 13 consecutive batters. Kalish broke the string when he doubled with two outs, but Hutchinson retired Alcantara on a fly to right to end the inning.
Hendricks was nearly as effective. Toronto didn’t manage to get a baserunner past first until Adam Lind and Navarro slapped consecutive singles with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, but Hendricks struck out Danny Valencia to get out of trouble. The only baserunner the Jays managed for the duration of the game was the Bautista home run. Hendricks allowed only four hits, and didn’t issue a walk, in seven innings of work. Brian Schlitter tossed a perfect eighth inning in relief for the Cubs.
After the harmless double by Kalish in the seventh, Hutchinson retired six straight batters before yielding a two-out single to Soler in the top of the ninth, which brought the potential go-ahead run to the plate in the form of Castillo. Fittingly, Hutchinson fired a 1-2 fastball past the Chicago catcher for his 12th and final punch out of the game.
The 12-strikeout effort represents a personal high for Hutchinson, whose previous best effort(10) matched that of Dickey and Marcus Stroman for the club’s high water mark on the season.
9/10/2014, ChN14-Tor14, Rogers Centre
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP
2014 Cubs 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 5 1
2014 Blue Jays 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 x 1 4 0 3 0
Cubs AB R H BI AVG Blue Jays AB R H BI AVG
Coghlan lf 4 0 1 0 .274 Reyes ss 4 0 0 0 .246
Baez,J ss 4 0 0 0 .182 Bautista rf 3 1 1 1 .241
Valbuena 3b 3 0 0 0 .230 Encarnacion dh 3 0 1 0 .242
Soler rf 4 0 2 0 .319 Lind 1b 3 0 1 0 .370
Castillo,W c 4 0 0 0 .239 Tolleson,St 3b 0 0 0 0 .280
Kalish cf 3 0 2 0 .307 Navarro,D c 3 0 1 0 .271
Alcantara 2b 3 0 0 0 .229 Valencia 3b 3 0 0 0 .276
Olt 1b 3 0 0 0 .120 Pillar lf 3 0 0 0 .277
Watkins dh 3 0 0 0 .341 Goins 2b 3 0 0 0 .214
31 0 5 0 Gose cf 3 0 0 0 .240
28 1 4 1
Cubs INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Hendricks L 7-2 7.0 4 1 1 0 3 84 61 2.05
Schlitter 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 17 10 4.41
8.0 4 1 1 0 4 101 71
Blue Jays INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Hutchison W 8-12 9.0 5 0 0 1 12 115 79 4.40
9.0 5 0 0 1 12 115 79
Tor: Tolleson,St inserted at 3b in the 8th
Valencia moved to 1b in the 8th
E-Baez,J. 2B-Soler(5), Kalish(6). 3B-Kalish(5). HR-Bautista(33).
RBI-Bautista(84). CS-Coghlan. K-Coghlan, Baez,J 2, Valbuena, Castillo,W 3,
Alcantara 2, Olt, Watkins 2, Reyes, Valencia, Goins, Gose. BB-Valbuena.
GWRBI: Bautista
Temperature: 70, Wind: none.
Attendance: 34,193
Game Time: 2:10