SAN FRANCISCO — Zach Davies had a lot of things go right during his rebound in May, but he didn’t have as much success in his first start in June. Following a 1-2-3 first inning, it was a battle for the Cubs’ right-hander who had traffic on the bases all night in Thursday’s 7-2 loss to the Giants.
Davies got out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning, allowing only one run to score, but San Francisco made him pay in the fourth and fifth innings.
Manager David Ross removed his starter from the game in the fifth inning after he allowed two singles and a walk, but reliever Rex Brothers came in and promptly served up a long three-run blast to Brandon Crawford to give the Giants a three-run lead.
Davies finished the game going 4 ⅓ innings allowing four runs on eight hits, walking two batters and striking out four. It was his first start allowing more than three earned runs since April 26.
Heyward, Marisnick getting close
All reports are trending in the right direction for Jason Heyward and Jake Marisnick, and the Cubs outfielders could be back soon.
Heyward went 0-for-2 with a walk and Marisnick was 1-for-3 with a double in the first game of their rehab assignment on Wednesday in Iowa. Heyward added a home run on Thursday. Both could return to the Cubs by the weekend.
Right-hander Alec Mills (lower back strain) made his third rehab start in Wednesday’s game for Triple-A Iowa, tossing six scoreless innings.
“The guys had a nice game,” manager David Ross said.
“Mills threw the ball really well. The trainers said everything went well. No negative repercussions from playing in the game.”
Down on the farm
It’s going to be a while before Brennen Davis is playing in the big leagues, but he is beginning to make a push toward Chicago.
Davis, 22, is the Cubs’ No. 1 prospect and baseball’s No. 48 prospect overall, according to MLB Pipeline. He made an impression during major-league camp during spring training and got off to a fast start at Advanced-A South Bend, sporting a .321/.406/.607 slashline with two homers. Davis was promoted to Double-A Tennessee on Tuesday.
The Cubs’ 2019 second-round pick, second-base prospect Chase Strumpf, also was promoted to Double-A Tennessee and started out strong, going 1-for-4 with a walk and a two-run home run.
Pitching prospect Ryan Jensen tossed five hitless innings with seven strikeouts for Advanced-A South Bend on Wednesday. The right-hander, who is the Cubs’ No. 8 prospect per MLB Pipeline, is 2-2 with a 3.57 ERA in five starts this season.
He said it
“It’s a blessing. It’s a great opportunity to be here with this team. Being able to play for the Chicago Cubs is something that I’m really fortunate for and excited about. ... This clubhouse is very united. There’s a lot of unity here. They’re supporting you through the highs and the lows. If you get a hit, if you don’t get hit, they’re always giving you feedback support. It’s [a clubhouse] that I’m very grateful and happy to be a part of.” — Sergio Alcantara, Cubs infielder
