Who said teams needed to be able to hit home runs in order to push runs across the plate? If you’re familiar with Chicago Cubs (63-41) skipper Joe Maddon, then you know that he loves taking the small ball approach and proved it during last year’s divisional series against the Cardinals.
But before Maddon called upon southpaw Jon Lester for his pinch-hit appearance, his call to start Matusz (0-0, 14.00 ERA) hit a brick wall. The Mariners (52-51) were not fooled by the 29-year-old right-hander and made him pay with multiple home runs.