Game #12
Thursday April 19
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs
Cox Muzzles Cubs as Cardinals Cruise at Wrigley
By Paul Sullivan
Chicago Tribune Sports
CHICAGO — On a chilly Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field, the Cardinals brought the heat — and Danny Cox brought the hammer.
Behind a masterful eight-inning performance by the right-hander, the St. Louis Cardinals quieted the Cubs’ bats and the North Side faithful in a 5-1 victory that snapped a modest two-game slide and dropped Chicago to 4-8 on the season.
Cox, now 1-1 on the year, scattered just four hits while striking out six and walking only one, taming a Cubs lineup that had shown flashes of power in recent days. The only blemish on his line came in the third inning, when Bob Dernier drove home Larry Bowa with a two-out RBI single. But from that point on, the Cubs were effectively silenced.
“Danny gave us everything he had,” said Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog. “He challenged hitters all day long and worked quickly. That’s the kind of effort we needed.”
The Cardinals (6-7) broke through in the sixth inning against Cubs starter Scott Sanderson Trout, who had held them scoreless through five. With one out and Ozzie Smith aboard via a walk, George Hendrick laced a two-run single to right. Willie McGee followed moments later with an RBI hit of his own, capping a three-run frame.
Trout (0-3) was tagged with the loss and continues to search for his rhythm early in the campaign. He allowed seven hits and five earned runs over 6⅓ innings, despite a solid first half of the outing.
St. Louis struck again in the seventh with some help from the Cubs' defense. An error by Ron Cey opened the door for two unearned runs, as Art Howe drove in a run with a single and Hendrick added another RBI on a sharp liner.
“We just didn’t get the big hits when we needed them,” said Cubs manager Jim Frey. “Cox pitched well, give him credit. But we didn’t put much pressure on them.”
The Cubs finished with just four hits — singles by Dernier, Gary Matthews, Jody Davis, and Bowa — and managed only two baserunners after the fourth inning. Chicago’s lone real threat ended quickly when Dernier was caught stealing in the third.
Offensively, the Cardinals were led by McGee, who collected three hits and an RBI while swiping his fourth base of the season. Ozzie Smith reached base three times, scored twice, and stole two bags of his own, keeping the Cubs defense on its toes.
The lone bright spot for the Cubs came in the form of reliever Rich Patterson, who struck out two Cardinals in a perfect ninth.
Game Notes:
Attendance was not announced, but the crowd braved 52-degree weather and partly cloudy skies. A light wind blew out to right field at 4 mph.
Cox threw 104 pitches, 74 for strikes.
St. Louis executed one double play and had no errors.
The Cubs, meanwhile, committed one costly error and turned a single double play.