CHICAGO (AP) — Seiya Suzuki homered in his second straight game and drove in four runs and the Chicago Cubs regrouped to beat the Colorado Rockies 9-8 after blowing a six-run lead Wednesday night.
The Cubs looked as if they were on their way to another easy win with an 8-2 lead in the sixth after outscoring the Rockies by a combined 17-2 in the first two games. Colorado made a big push, scoring a run in the seventh and five in the eighth to tie it.
Pinch-hitter Miles Mastrobuoni reached on a wild pitch by Nick Mears (0-1) as he struck out with an 0-2 count leading off the bottom half. He took third on a single by Ian Happ and beat the throw home on Suzuki’s fielder’s choice grounder to third baseman Ryan McMahon to put Chicago back on top, 9-8, on a wet, wintry night.
“It was tough conditions tonight for both sides, for sure," manager Craig Counsell said. "It's just a game you want to come out with a win.”
Suzuki had three hits. Miguel Amaya drove in three runs, and the Cubs won their fourth in a row.
Kris Bryant — 0 for 16 coming in — had two hits for Colorado. The Rockies fell to 1-6, though they sure made things interesting in the eighth.
“I love the fact that we didn't melt when we got behind,” manager Bud Black said.
Jake Cave drove a two-run double to left against Héctor Neris (2-0). Two more scored when second baseman Nico Hoerner threw wildly to first fielding Charlie Blackmon’s single, and Ezequiel Tovar tied it with a double to deep center, just beyond a lunging Mike Tauchman.
Adbert Alzolay pitched around a leadoff single by Bryant in the ninth for his first save, and the Cubs completed a three-game sweep.
Suzuki drove in two with a single to cap a four-run second against Rockies starter Cal Quantrill and greeted Jalen Beeks with a drive to left-center leading off the fifth on a cold and soggy night.
“As a team, we’re in a really good spot right now,” Suzuki said through an interpreter. “Regardless of how the weather is doing, it doesn’t really matter. I feel like we’re doing really good as a team. That really motivates me and helps me focus.”
Amaya hit a sacrifice fly in the second and drove in two more with a bases-loaded single against Tyler Kinley in the sixth. Center fielder Brenton Doyle’s errant throw on the play allowed another run to score, making it 8-2.
Chicago's Luke Little, making his first career start, threw a perfect first inning after recording the final three outs in Tuesday’s 12-2 romp. He became the first Cubs pitcher to finish a game and start the next one since Rick Reuschel at San Francisco and at the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 2 and May 4, 1976. He’s the first to do it for Chicago against the same team since Warren Hacker on May 1-2, 1955 at Philadelphia, according to team historian Ed Hartig.
Ben Brown allowed a run and three hits over four innings in his second career appearance. The 24-year-old right-hander struck out five and walked one.
Quantrill threw 90 pitches in four innings, allowing four runs and four hits. The right-hander walked four and struck out three.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Cubs: RHP Jameson Taillon (back strain) is set to start a rehab assignment Sunday with Double-A Tennessee, manager Craig Counsell said.
UP NEXT
Rockies: The Rockies send LHP Austin Gomber (0-0, 7.71 ERA) to the mound Friday for their home opener against Tampa Bay. The Rays go with RHP Zack Littell (1-0, 0.00), who went six scoreless innings in a 5-1 win over Toronto on Saturday.
Cubs: RHP Kyle Hendricks (0-1, 12.27) pitches Friday as the Cubs open a three-game series against Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers. RHP Bobby Miller (1-0, 0.00) gets the ball for Los Angeles.
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