Matt Clement couldn’t be faulted if he has recurring nightmares of San Francisco ace Jason Schmidt.
Every time Clement faces the Giants, it seems he has to outduel Schmidt, one of the most dominant pitchers in the game.
Clement and Schmidt matched up again on Friday night at SBC Park, the third time in the last two seasons they’ve faced off. Schmidt came out on top for the third straight time in a 6-2 Giants win, snapping the Cubs’ four-game winning streak.
Schmidt won his league-leading 14th game, earning his 100th career victory by allowing two runs. He struck out 11 in seven innings, including Derrek Lee four times.
Corey Patterson also went down four times, including three strikeouts against Schmidt.
Overall, the Cubs struck out 14 times.
Clement (8-11) gave up only five hits over five innings, but two were home runs. Michael Tucker hit a three-run shot in the second after two walks, and J.T. Snow added a two-run blast in the fifth.
“We both bent tonight, and I broke,” Clement said. “That’s probably why he’s going to win the Cy Young Award.”
The loss was Clement’s seventh in his last eight decisions dating back to June 13. It was also his shortest outing over his last seven starts.
Schmidt is 31-9 with a 2.51 ERA over 51 combined starts in 2003 and ’04, leading all major leaguers in ERA over that span while ranking second in wins. He originally was scheduled to pitch on Saturday against Greg Maddux but was moved up to Friday so rookie Brad Hennessey could pitch on five days’ rest in his major-league debut, following a 119-pitch outing in his last minor-league start.
Schmidt threw a three-hit shutout against the Cubs last year in what was then known as Pac Bell Park, striking out 12 while beating Clement. He threw a one-hit shutout against them on May 18th at Wrigley Field, striking out 13 and once again beating Clement.
Facing Clement one more time, Schmidt picked up right where he left off, striking out four of the first six batters he faced. Clement ran into trouble in the second inning, mostly because of walks but partly as a result of some defensive miscues. He induced Barry Bonds to hit a foul pop near the Giants dugout, but Barrett let it glance off his glove to give Bonds another chance.
“It was a tough play, but I should’ve had it,” Barrett said. “I hate to admit it, but that sort of turned the game around a little.”
Undeterred, Clement again induced Bonds to pop one up towards the Giants dugout. But Aramis Ramirez was playing close to second base on the “Bonds shift,” and the ball fell just out of his reach after he ran about 100 feet to catch it.
Giving Bonds a second chance is dangerous. Giving Bonds a third chance is sheer lunacy. Clement wound up walking Bonds, and proceeded to walk J.T. Snow after him. He then fell behind Tucker 2-0 before serving up a three-run home run to right field on a 2-1 pitch. Considering Schmidt had not allowed more than three runs in 17 of his previous 21 starts this season, and the Cubs had scored three or fewer runs with Clement on the mound in 16 of his previous 22 starts, a Cubs comeback was unlikely.
Schmidt stranded the bases loaded in the third by inducing Sammy Sosa to hit a pop foul, and after Barrett’s RBI single in the fourth made it 3-1, he struck out Clement and Patterson to leave runners on the corners. The Giants led 4-2 in the fifth when Snow’s homer put the game out of reach.
“I can’t give up six runs and expect to beat Jason Schmidt,” Clement said.
