Cubs lose 6-4 to Rockies in 10 innings

JAY COHEN
AP Sports Writer

CHICAGO (AP) — Travis Wood focused on his career-high 11 strikeouts after he wrapped up another winless month.

Wood lasted six innings after a shaky start, and the Chicago Cubs went on to a 6-4 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night.

“I’ve never had 11 before,” Wood said. “Definitely take something from that and hopefully build off of it.”

Wood also had a career-high 119 pitches, but remains winless in eight starts dating to a 3-0 win at Philadelphia on June 15. He was charged with four runs and eight hits.

“All in all, Travis ended up grinding through that ballgame and giving us a chance,” Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. “Obviously it was good enough for us to come back and tie the game.”

Brandon Barnes hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the 10th for Colorado, which had lost three in a row. Charlie Blackmon had three hits, including a run-scoring double.

“We got some timely hits tonight,” manager Walt Weiss said. “We got a few early, and then of course Barnesy had the big one late.”

Colorado loaded the bases on two walks and Michael McKenry’s third hit of the game before Barnes singled to left with one out against Wesley Wright (0-2). Drew Stubbs then scored on a wild pitch.

Rob Scahill (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning for his second major league win and Adam Ottavino got three outs for his first career save. Scahill was recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs before the game, bolstering Colorado’s bullpen after it used eight relievers in Tuesday night’s 16-inning loss.

“I can cross it off my bucket list, coming to Wrigley,” said Scahill, a Lombard native who grew up rooting for the crosstown White Sox. “I was definitely excited to have the opportunity to pitch here.”

Luis Valbuena had three hits and three RBIs for the Cubs, including a tying two-run homer with two out in the eighth. Valbuena’s eighth homer came after Stubbs dropped a fly ball at the wall in center, prolonging the inning.

Valbuena came up with a runner on first and two out in the 10th, but was retired on a sinking liner to right.

Journeyman catcher John Baker had an RBI double one night after he pitched a scoreless 16th inning and scored the winning run in Chicago’s 4-3 victory.

TALKING TRADES

Cubs utilityman Emilio Bonifacio did not play. The speedy switch hitter is batting .400 (14 for 35) in his last eight games and could be on the move before Thursday’s trade deadline.

“I’m just waiting for whatever is going to happen,” he said.

TALKING TRADES II

The Cubs acquired struggling left-hander Felix Doubront from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for a player to be named. Theo Epstein, the president of baseball operations for the Cubs, was Boston’s general manager when Doubront signed with the Red Sox as an undrafted free agent in 2005.

ON DECK

The Cubs send right-hander Jake Arrieta (5-2, 2.18 ERA) to the mound for the finale of the four-game series on Thursday afternoon. Arrieta is looking for his first win in a month in his first career appearance against Colorado.

Tyler Matzek was slated to start for the Rockies, but Weiss decided to give him an extra day or two of rest after he gave up Starlin Castro’s game-ending sacrifice fly in the 16-inning loss. Instead, Pedro Hernandez will be promoted from Triple-A Colorado Springs for the lefty’s first game with Colorado.

Hernandez, 25, signed a minor league deal with the Rockies in November after he went 3-3 with a 6.83 ERA in 14 games with Minnesota last year, including 12 starts.

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Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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