The Sports Xchange
Aug 2, 2017
CHICAGO -- Right-hander Zack Godley gave up three hits over six shutout innings as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Chicago Cubs 3-0 on Wednesday at Wrigley Field.
Godley (5-4) walked two and struck out five in a 96-pitch outing.
Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb drove in all three runs, going 2-for-4 with two doubles.
The victory evened the series at a game apiece heading into the Thursday finale.
It was the first shutout loss for the Cubs (57-49) since a 5-0 defeat at Cincinnati on June 30.
After managing just one hit through the first five innings, the Diamondbacks (61-46) scored twice in the sixth after putting runners at second and third with one out.
Lamb doubled down the right field line, scoring David Peralta and A.J. Pollock to make it 2-0 and giving Arizona its first lead in the series.
Godley, who also tossed seven shutout innings in his previous outing on July 27 against the Cardinals, was pulled for a pinch hitter with two outs in the top of the seventh.
Cubs starter Jake Arrieta (10-8) gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits in seven innings. He struck out eight and walked a pair.
Arizona made it 3-0 in the eighth as Lamb hit an RBI doubled to left off left-handed reliever Justin Wilson, who was making his Cubs debut.
Diamondbacks relievers Andrew Chafin and Archie Bradley each threw a scoreless inning. Fernando Rodney worked a perfect nine-pitch ninth, striking out two Cubs en route to his 23rd save.
Unlike the Cubs' 16-4 blowout win Tuesday, hits and runs were hard to come by on Wednesday.
The Cubs had Kyle Schwarber at second with one out in the bottom of the second, but he advanced no further. Ben Zobrist reached scoring position in the third with two outs, but Schwarber struck out to end the inning.
Godley, acquired from the Cubs in a 2014 trade, was making his second career start against his former team. He gave up six earned runs in 3 2/3 inning pitched on Sept 4, 2015, at Wrigley Field.
Arrieta was looking for his third career victory in his sixth career start against the Diamondbacks. He struck out 12 batters over five innings in an eight-inning scoreless outing the last time he faced Arizona on Sept. 5, 2015.
NOTES: The Diamondbacks faced a right-handed starter for the 14th time in 15 games in Cubs starter Jake Arrieta. Now they will face back-to-back lefties, the Cubs' Jose Quintana (Thursday) and the Giants' Madison Bumgarner (Friday). ... The Diamondbacks send RHP Zack Greinke (13-4, 2.84 ERA) against Quintana (2-1, 2.37 ERA) on Thursday. ... C Alex Avila made his first Cubs start on Wednesday since arriving in a trade with the Tigers. He spelled regular C Willson Contreras, who entered as a sixth-inning pinch hitter. Contreras has 16 home runs, which is second in the NL among catchers. ... Cubs RF Jason Heyward went 0-for-3 on Wednesday and remains four hits short of 1,000 for his career.