Edwin Jackson pitches seven strong, but Cubs fall 4-3 to Rockies
BY GORDON WITTENMYER gwittenmyer@suntimes.com July 21, 2013 6:38PM
Updated: July 21, 2013 7:31PM
DENVER – Edwin Jackson’s successful battle against his personal nemesis wasn’t good enough for the Cubs to get out of Colorado with a series win.
Jackson pitched seven strong innings against a team that historically has battered him – allowing just one earned run after the first inning – but came up empty as the Rockies beat the Cubs 4-3 Sunday in the finale of a three-game series at Coors Field.
Back-to-back RBI hits with two outs in the first by Carlos Gonzalez and Michael Cuddyer gave Colorado a quick first-inning lead.
But the Cubs came back to tie in the top of the sixth on Anthony Rizzo’s opposite-field home run and a sacrifice fly by Darwin Barney – after an error on a pickoff attempt put the tying run at third with one out.
A pair of two-out walks to Gonzalez and Cuddyer turned out to be Jackson’s undoing in the bottom of the sixth as Nolan Arenado followed with a run-scoring single to center for the go-ahead run – and rookie center fielder Junior Lake compounded the play by overthrowing the plate to allow another run to score.
It was the second error in as many games for Lake, who hadn’t played center in a professional regular-season game until making his big-league debut Friday.
Lake did contribute to the two-run sixth with a single. He also struck out with the bases loaded in the first and again with the tying run at first to end the game.
He’s 5-for-12 with a walk.
