When Alex Fernandez hit a double-play ball to Shawon Dunston in the fifth inning of Tuesday’s Cubs-Marlins game, it looked like Jeremi Gonzalez was out of a jam.
But Manny Alexander’s relay to first pulled Mark Grace off the bag and Gonzalez inexplicably turned into a pumpkin well before the stroke of midnight.
The Cubs rookie walked the next three batters to force home two runs and failed to register another out in an 8-1 Cubs loss.
“That’s kind of been the story of our season,” manager Jim Riggleman said.
And what a season it has been.
Cubs pitchers gave up only five hits, but walked seven and hit a batter in another brutal performance.
“I don’t know what happened to me,” Gonzalez said. “I couldn’t find the strike zone.”
The Cubs are now 19-46 on the road this year and have to win seven of their 16 remaining road games to avoid breaking the all-time club record for most road losses in a season, 56, set by the 1956 Cubs.
Alex Fernandez (16-8) got the complete-game victory, allowing only a home run by Sammy Sosa in the second inning. He’s now 3-0 against the Cubs with an 0.72 earned-run average.
Gonzalez, who leads all National League rookies with nine victories, was unhittable for 4 1/3 innings before completely losing it in the Marlins’ six-run fifth.
“He was cruising,” Mark Grace said. “That’s the crazy thing about this game. Looked like we had a good chance to win, and then we’re blown out in half an inning.”
“I really don’t have an explanation for it,” Riggleman said. “Sometimes you’re in a great rhythm and then you lose your strike zone. . . . Gonzalez is going to be a heck of a pitcher in this league. That’s one he’s just going to have to chalk up as a bad night and put it behind him.”
