Cubs 1991 Season-Game 60
From Sports Library
Contents |
Cubs 7, Padres 3
- WP: Danny Jackson (1-2)
- LP: Andy Benes (4-7)
- SV: Dave Smith (16)
The Cubs began a 13-game road trip in San Diego on Friday, June 14, 1991. After closing to within four games of division leader Pittsburgh, the Cubs had slipped back to 7 1/2 games out of first and were 30-29.
Free-agent acquisition Danny Jackson was the scheduled starter against Andy Benes, a native Hoosier who was a prep sports star in Evansville, Indiana, but whose parents and siblings had since relocated to Lake Forest, Illinois.
First Inning
Jerome Walton greeted Benes with a leadoff homer over the left-field wall at Jack Murphy Stadium, his second home run of the season and the ninth of his career. Following a walk to Ryne Sandberg, Benes surrendered a single to Mark Grace, putting runners on the corners with nobody out. With one out, Andre Dawson hit into a fielder's choice, scoring Sandberg.
In the Padres half of the inning, it appeared that Danny Jackson's struggles as a Cub were only continuing as he gave up back-to-back singles to Bip Roberts and Tony Fernandez. However, Jackson retired Tony Gwynn, Fred McGriff, and Tim Teufel in order to end the threat.
Jackson settles down
After allowing a single to Benito Santiago and walking Benes in the second, Jackson allowed just one more baserunner over the next three innings as the Cubs continued to build on their lead. Dawson drove home Sandberg for the second time of the night with a third-inning single making it 3-0. In the fifth, Sandberg doubled home Walton, who had led off the inning with a single. two batters later, Bell singled home Sandberg. A Luis Salazar single chased Benes in favor of Mike Maddux, the brother of the Cubs' ace.
Padres battle back
Jackson was lifted for a pinch-hitter (inexplicably pitcher Shawn Boskie) in the sixth inning and left-hander Chuck McElroy replaced him. After escaping a runners on first and third, one out jam in the sixth, McElroy opened the seventh with a walk of Scott Coolbaugh before surrendering a pinch-hit two-run homer to former Cub Darrin Jackson. Paul Assenmacher came on in relief and retired the next three Padres.
Assenmacher walked McGriff to lead off the eighth inning, so manager Jim Essian called on Heathcliff Slocumb to shut the door. Slocumb proceeded to walk Tim Teufel and then uncork a wild pitch to put runners on second and third with nobody out. After Benito Santiago flew out to center, Jerald Clark hit a line drive to right on which Dawson made a nice running catch, but was unable to throw out a tagging McGriff, who scored to make it 5-3. After Slocumb walked Coolbaugh, Essian brought in closer Dave Smith, who ended the threat.
The Cubs added two more runs in the ninth on RBI singles from Grace and Dawson to give Smith a four-run cushion in the bottom of the ninth. Smith walked Roberts and allowed a double to Fernandez to put runners on second and third with nobody out and future Hall of Famer Gwynn coming to the plate. Gwynn grounded out to third, so no runners were able to move up. Smith then fanned the next batter, McGriff, before inducing Teufel to ground out.
Implications of the win
Pittsburgh lost 3-2 at San Francisco that night, so the Cubs picked up a game in the standings. With the Cubs hitting well and Jackson finally turning in a solid pitching performance, the Cubs felt confident that they could turn the season around with a good road trip. With 12 games left to go (2 more in San Diego, three in Los Angeles, four in San Francisco and three in Pittsburgh, the Cubs' spirit was buoyed some.
