CARLOS Rodon struck out 10 over seven innings and the bottom five hitters in the San Francisco order provided all the offense as the Giants made it three out of four against the visiting Chicago Cubs with a 4-0 victory on Sunday night.
Jason Vosler and Austin Wynns drove in two runs apiece while Dixon Machado, acquired earlier in the day from the Cubs, got on base twice via a single and a hit batsman and scored once for the Giants, who finished the month of July just 11-17 despite their 3-1 series win over Chicago.
With trade rumors swirling and rival scouts following every pitch, Rodon (9-6) dominated the Cubs, allowing just a pair of singles over his seven innings. He didn’t walk anyone en route to his sixth double-digit strikeout effort of the season.
Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki had the Cubs’ only hits against Rodon. Chicago never got a runner past first base against the left-hander.
John Brebbia allowed third and fourth Cubs hits to Patrick Wisdom and P.J. Higgins before wrapping up a scoreless eighth, and Camilo Doval worked a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts to complete the Giants’ fifth shutout of the season.
San Francisco did all its scoring in the fourth inning when, with two outs, LaMonte Wade Jr. walked, Mike Yastrzemski singled and Machado was hit by a pitch, loading the bases.
Vosler then connected on his two-run single to left-center, after which Wynns, batting ninth, blasted a two-RBI double to center, accounting for the four runs.
Cubs starter Adrian Sampson (0-2) was pulled at inning’s end, charged with all four runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out six.
Machado’s hit came in the sixth inning. He was starting at shortstop in place of Thairo Estrada, who entered concussion protocol after getting hit by a pitch Saturday. Estrada in turn had been subbing for Brandon Crawford, who is out with a knee injury.
Machado had been playing for the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate in Iowa. He hadn’t appeared in a major league game since playing for the Detroit Tigers in 2018.
Vosler finished with two hits and Tommy La Stella collected a single and a double for the Giants, who had opened the second half with seven straight losses before the Cubs came to town.
The Cubs finished July with an 11-14 record, their four consecutive losing month. — Reuters
