Cubs Overcome Silva's Rough Start
It hasn't been a very smooth spring training for Chicago Cubs' pitcher Carlos Silva. After already have one shaky start and an altercation with a teammate, Silva added another rough start on Monday.
Silva, gave up eight runs and 10 hits in 2 1/3 innings and the Cubs overcame a nine-run deficit in a 14-13 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday.
The teams combined for 37 hits and used 13 pitchers. Scott Moore hit a grand slam in a seven-run sixth inning for Chicago. Angels first baseman Mark Trumbo was 4 for 4 with a solo homer, his third of the spring.
Silva was upset about three errors in the first inning of his first start on Wednesday against the Brewers. He said he accepted blame for the incident.
Bryan LaHair's long single to the gap in right-center field scored Fernando Perez with the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Perez had reached base on a one-out walk and had stolen second.
In two starts (3 1/3 innings), Silva has given up 14 runs (11 earned) and 13 hits and two home runs.
A brisk wind was blowing out to right-center on Monday, but Silva said that did not affect his pitches.
"I was feeling pretty good. Most of them were singles that were hit through the hole (between infielders)," Silva said.
"You get out there and try to do your work. You're usually not concerned with results. But you need results when you are competing for a starting spot in the rotation," he said.
Silva knows he needs to pitch better to quiet his critics.
"When I pitch good, nobody says anything," said Silva, who was 10-6 with a 4.22 ERA in 21 starts in 2010, his first season with the Cubs.
"I feel good. I feel strong. I'm going to be fine," he said.
Angels starter Dan Haren feels fine, too, especially after throwing three hitless innings against the Cubs. He walked one and struck out three.
The right-hander took the loss in his first start against Texas on March 2.
"It was a little scary with the wind blowing out (against the Cubs)," he said. "My sinker did sink a little more. I've been really focusing on getting the ball down. My fastball was moving well. And I felt I was able to throw well out of the stretch a couple of times."
He was acquired in a trade with Arizona on July 25, 2010, and was 5-4 in 14 starts for the Angels and finished 12-12 overall. He relies on five pitches - a two-seam fastball, a four-seam fastball, a cutter, a split-finger pitch and a curveball.
"I don't throw 95 (mph) so I have to use all of those," he said. "When you're working in the spring, you go from the bullpen to live BP (batting practice) to the games, where there's a little more adrenalin. You have to learn to make adjustments. If you don't, you will pay the price."
NOTES: Cubs center fielder Marlon Byrd continued his hot hitting with two hits, the fifth multi-hit game out of seven overall. ... Right-hander Kerry Wood, who returned to the Cubs after pitching for Cleveland and the New York Yankees last year, threw a scoreless seventh inning.
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