After singling to right field in the eighth inning Tuesday night, a thought crossed Todd Hundley’s head.
“I was like: `Holy [cow]!'” he said. “`Man it’s been a long time since I got three hits in a game.'”
So long that Hundley didn’t realize he had never done it in a Cubs uniform.
Hundley’s three-hit, three-RBI game helped the Cubs rally for a 9-5 victory over the Astros.
Starter Jason Bere finally received the run support he needed to break his 10-start winless streak. But he couldn’t get the requisite bullpen support as his record remained at 1-8.
Bere, who departed with a 5-4 lead, had to watch as Cubs relievers allowed the Astros to tie the game in the seventh.
“All the guys were sitting with him on the bench, trying to nurse him through,” manager Don Baylor said. “Kerry Wood, [Jon] Lieber, [Matt] Clement, they all felt for him because he’s pitched well [the last] four times and we’ve let it get away.”
Bere wasn’t upset about not earning the victory. He was mad at himself for having allowed Jeff Bagwell’s second-inning home run to affect him.
“I thought about that hanging breaking ball to Bagwell for the next two to three hitters,” Bere said. “There’s no excuse for that. That was the cause for the big inning. I lost my focus.”
After giving up four runs in the second, Bere responded by throwing four shutout innings.
With the game tied 5-5 in the eighth, Hundley led off with a single, and Mark Bellhorn followed with a double off the left-field wall.
With the Astros’ infielders playing back, Corey Patterson did the wise thing by hitting a grounder to second. That scored pinch-runner Bobby Hill and advanced Bellhorn to third.
“I thought they were going to be charging in, but they stayed back the entire time,” Baylor said. “If they’re going to give us a run in that situation, we’re going [from] third.”
Bellhorn then scored on Bill Mueller’s sacrifice fly.
The victory was a huge relief for Baylor, who admitted he was “thinking the worst” after the Cubs failed to score earlier after loading the bases in the second inning.
But Hundley knocked in the next three runs.
The oft-maligned catcher, who has said repeatedly that his performance will be linked to his playing time, started his fourth straight game behind the plate. He has responded during that stretch by going 6-for-15 (.400) with a walk and four RBIs.
“I’m starting to feel comfortable up there,” Hundley said. “You can go in the [batting] cage and hit all day, but it’s not the same as a pressure situation. It’s two completely different worlds. When you get the game-time at-bats, you get comfortable.”
– The Cubs’ expected announcement that Bobby Hill will return to Triple-A Iowa for more seasoning has been delayed a day. Baylor said after the game that he wants to “make sure everybody gets here healthy” before announcing the move. Delino DeShields is set to be activated from the disabled list Wednesday.
