Cubs Crush Indians, 17-0
CLEVELAND (AP) — Kris Bryant had a grand slam and Kyle Schwarber was 4 for 5, including his first major league hit and RBI, and the Chicago Cubs hit four home runs to rout the Cleveland Indians, 17-0, on Wednesday night.
The Cubs scored seven times in the ninth inning, which ended with Indians position players Ryan Raburn and David Murphy pitching.
Schwarber, the fourth pick in last year's draft who was called up Tuesday, tripled in the second to key a six-run inning and added an RBI single in the third when the Cubs scored four times.
Schwarber hit into a double play in the fourth and singled in the seventh. He added an infield hit in the ninth.
Cleveland used seven pitchers in the first eight innings before calling on Raburn, who was given a loud ovation by the crowd of 15,572.
In the ninth, Chris Coghlan drew a four-pitch walk before Starlin Castro flied out to deep center. After Schwarber squibbed a hit to the left side of the infield, Chris Denorfia lined out to third. With a 2-0 count on David Ross, manager Terry Francona and a trainer visited Raburn on the mound. Francona pointed to left field, where Murphy was playing.
It appeared Murphy would get out of the inning when Ross hit a popup to shallow center. Rookie Francisco Lindor settled under the ball, but it fell behind him and he was charged with an error.
Murphy allowed a hit, walked one and hit a batter before Bryant's grand slam.
Raburn was also the last Indians' position player to pitch in a game, working a scoreless inning against Detroit on Aug. 8, 2013. Murphy pitched a scoreless inning for Texas against Boston on June 5, 2015.
Addison Russell, another of the Cubs' highly regarded rookies, and Anthony Rizzo each hit two-run homers in the second and Denorfia, who had four RBIs, added a three-run homer in the third. Chicago sent nine men to the plate in the second and third innings.
Tsuyoshi Wada (1-1) pitched seven scoreless innings for his first win since Aug. 24, 2014.
Schwarber's stay in the majors is expected to be brief. The plan is for him to DH in interleague games at Cleveland and Minnesota this week and send him to Triple-A Iowa where he will continue to be used as a catcher.
Schwarber, 23, hit .320 with 13 home runs and 39 RBIs in 58 games at Double-A Tennessee. He caught the top of the ninth and struck out in his first at-bat Tuesday.
Shaun Marcum (3-2) allowed six runs and six hits in two innings.
Coghlan led off the second with a single. With one out, Schwarber hit a hard ground ball to the right side. First baseman Carlos Santana appeared to be in position to make the play, but the ball went under his glove and rolled into the right-field corner. The play was ruled a triple and Coghlan scored.
Denorfia followed with an RBI double before Russell homered into the bleachers for a 4-0 lead. Dexter Fowler singled and Rizzo, breaking an 0-for-18 slump, homered to right.
Schwarber singled for another run in the third before Denorfia hit his first homer of the season.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Cubs: C Miguel Montero (back stiffness) was a late scratch from the lineup, but manager Joe Maddon expects him to play Thursday. David Ross replaced Montero.
Indians: Manager Terry Francona says there's no timetable for the return of OF Nick Swisher (sore left knee), who was placed on the 15-day DL on Sunday.
UP NEXT
Cubs: RHP Jason Hammel makes his first start against Cleveland since June 26, 2013. He is 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA in eight appearances, including four starts, against the Indians.
Indians: RHP Danny Salazar seeks his career-high seventh victory of the season. He has won three straight decisions at Progressive Field, posting a 3.16 ERA over 25 2-3 innings.
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