World Series 2016: Player ratings for Cubs' Game 2 win over Indians; Rizzo, Schwarber lead charge

Jesse Spector

World Series 2016: Player ratings for Cubs' Game 2 win over Indians; Rizzo, Schwarber lead charge image

CLEVELAND — Game 2 of the World Series was a race against the weather once the Cubs seized control early and never let go. With Chicago leading by five runs before Cleveland finally mustered a hit against 2015 Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta in the sixth inning, there was little doubt about the result of the game. The only question was if that result would be able to come before the rain arrived in chilly northeast Ohio.

The rain did come, but not enough to stop the game from dragging to its dull conclusion after four hours and four minutes. The Cubs’ 5-1 victory surely was worth that slog, to get their first triumph in the World Series since Game 6 in 1945, but not too much else was memorable about Wednesday night. There were good performances, sure, but it was a sloppy affair and one in which even the guy taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning didn’t look his very best — Arrieta kept falling behind in counts, but kept getting hitters out anyway.

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The Cubs aren’t going to complain. They got to fly the W, and the best-of-seven series, tied 1-1, now shifts to Chicago for Game 3 on Friday night. Here are the ratings for all the players in Game 2, on a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best).

CHICAGO

Dexter Fowler – 4: Bounced back harmlessly to the mound to start the game. Bounced harmlessly to second base to start the third inning. Struck out to end the fourth. Singled to load the bases in the seventh.

Kris Bryant – 6: Got a little bit jammed in his first at-bat, but got a single out of it against the shift, ran hard to score easily from first on Anthony Rizzo’s double. Got jammed again in the third, which turned into a soft liner to shortstop. Struck out leading off the fifth. Lined out in the sixth. Bounced into a fielder’s choice in the seventh, failing to pad the lead.

MORE: Bryant chosen for SN's NL All-Star team

Anthony Rizzo – 8: Quickly bounced back from an awful Game 1 with an RBI double to give the Cubs an early lead. Drew a two-out walk in the third after falling behind 0-2, which kept Trevor Bauer from having a much-needed low-pitch inning, then came around to score on Kyle Schwarber’s single. Worked a 10-pitch walk from Zach McAllister in the fifth, then came around to score another run on Ben Zobrist’s triple. Finally made an out in the sixth when he grounded out. Flied out to end the seventh.

Ben Zobrist – 7: Flied out in the first inning, but made Trevor Bauer work for it in a 10-pitch at-bat. Singled up the middle in the third. Tripled home Rizzo on a liner into the right field corner, getting the extra base because Lonnie Chisenhall fell down, but hey, still a triple in the record books. Drew a walk from Danny Salazar. Grounded out leading off the eighth.

Kyle Schwarber – 8: Struck out to end the first inning. Swung at a 3-0 pitch in the third inning and ripped an RBI single to center field. Singled home Zobrist in the fifth, and scored on a bases-loaded walk. Walked the next inning. Struck out in the eighth.

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Javier Baez – 4: Nubbed a ball up the third base line to start the second inning with an infield hit. Struck out to end the third. Struck out again in the fifth. Grounded out his next time up.

Willson Contreras – 6: Sent a lazy fly ball to right field on a fastball down the middle in his first at-bat. Drew a leadoff walk in the fourth inning. Reached on an error his next time up. Drew another leadoff walk in the seventh. Flied out in the ninth.

Jorge Soler – 4: Popped up to center field in the second inning. Grounded into a double play his second time up. Walked in the fifth inning, then left for a pinch runner.

Addison Russell – 6: Drove the ball well the other way in his first at-bat, but came up empty on a running catch by Lonnie Chisenhall. Singled with two outs in the fourth to end Trevor Bauer’s night. Walked in the fifth to bring home a run. Reached on a fielder’s choice in the seventh. Lined out to shortstop in the ninth.

Jason Heyward – 4: Entered as a pinch runner in the fifth inning with the Cubs up by four runs and the strategy being to get Heyward in the game for his glove, and hope for an at-bat or two to get him going. Hit the ball hard his first time up in the seventh, but to the wrong spot as Tyler Naquin reeled it in for an out. Struck out in the ninth.

MORE: SN's Game 2 blog 

Jake Arrieta – 7: Struggled with his control, which led to a pair of walks in the first inning, but settled down once he got out of that opening frame, as he set Cleveland down in order in the second and third. A two-out walk in the fourth ended a run of nine straight outs, but Arrieta retired the next five before Jason Kipnis broke up the no-hit bid with a double. Wound up losing his shutout on a wild pitch, and didn’t make it out of the sixth.

Mike Montgomery – 6: Ended the sixth inning by getting Jose Ramirez to hit a chopper back to the box. Got into and out of trouble in the seventh. Gave up a two-out single in the eighth.

Aroldis Chapman – 6: Struck out Jose Ramirez to end the eighth inning.

CLEVELAND

Carlos Santana – 2: Popped up to third base on a three-pitch at-bat to start the first inning, not the kind of at-bat you want out of the leadoff spot. Struck out his second time up. Flied out in the sixth. Struck out with two on to end the seventh.

Jason Kipnis – 4: Struck out in his first at-bat. Flied out to left to end the third inning. Made an error on Willson Contreras’ routine grounder in the fifth. Broke up Jake Arrieta’s no-hit bid and really hustled to get a double in the sixth. Scored on a wild pitch. Made another error in the seventh after Francisco Lindor made a sweet play and backhand flip to start what could’ve been a 6-4-3 double play. Struck out leading off the eighth.

Francisco Lindor – 5: Drew a two-out walk in the first inning. Made a snazzy turn on Jorge Soler’s double play ball in the fourth, but struck out starting the bottom of the inning. Grounded out his third time up. Made a sparkling play that turned to nothing on Kipnis’ second error. Grounded out in the eighth.

MORE: Lindor named to SN's AL All-Star team

Mike Napoli – 6: Followed his first-inning walk in Game 1 with another. Skied to center field his second time up. Singled with two outs in the sixth to knock Arrieta out of the game. Singled again in the eighth to knock Montgomery out of the game.

Jose Ramirez – 4: Gave the crowd a momentary thrill in the first inning, but his long fly ball died at the warning track to end the threat. Whiffed on Javier Baez’s roller for a single in the second inning. Drew a two-out walk in the fourth. Grounded out to end the sixth. Struck out to end the eighth.

Lonnie Chisenhall – 2: Questionable throw to second base instead of home on Anthony Rizzo’s double cost Cleveland any shot at throwing out Kris Bryant as he scored the game’s first run. Saved a run the next inning by reeling in Addison Russell’s well-struck drive, though it may have been an easier play than he made it look. Grounded out his first time up. Flied out to end the fourth inning. Fell down in the top of the fifth chasing Ben Zobrist’s ball in the corner, which made it an easy triple instead of a double that may or may not have scored Rizzo.

Coco Crisp – 3: Smacked a line drive in the second inning, but right at Javier Baez. Flied to left leading off the fifth. Struck out in the seventh. Grounded out in the ninth.

Tyler Naquin – 3: Struck out to end the second inning. Fanned again his next time up.

MORE: Three takeaways from Game 2

Roberto Perez – 5: Grinded an eight-pitch at-bat against Jake Arrieta to start the third inning, but struck out. Flied out to the warning track in left field to end the fifth. Drew a walk in the seventh.

Rajai Davis – 4: Pinch-hit for Chisenhall and struck out leading off the seventh after what appeared to be an infield hit turned out to be a foul ball. Struck out in the ninth.

Brandon Guyer – 6: Pinch-hit for Naquin in the seventh and singled to center field and moved to second on a wild pitch. Drew a walk in the ninth to keep the game going (a good thing only for Cleveland, and only from a mathematical perspective, because it was just getting people a little bit wetter).

Trevor Bauer – 3: Battled through a rough first inning, giving up a run, but really Anthony Rizzo’s RBI double was the only hard hit ball. Got through the second inning without allowing a second run, but continued running up a high pitch count. Couldn’t get out of the third when he had Rizzo at 0-2 with two outs, wound up giving up a run and getting up to 71 pitches. Driven from the game in the fourt, trailing 2-0.

Zach McAllister – 3: Entered with a runner on first base and struck out Dexter Fowler to end the fourth inning. After striking out Kris Bryant, walked Anthony Rizzo and gave up a triple to Ben Zobrist to bring in a run.

Bryan Shaw – 3: Gave up an RBI single to Kyle Schwarber upon entering the game in the fifth inning, then hucked a wild pitch. Wound up loading the bases, then walking in a run before getting out of further trouble.

Danny Salazar – 5: Pitching for the first time since Sept. 9, and looked like he had good stuff, if a bit of rust on him as he worked around a pair of two-out walks in the sixth inning.

Jeff Manship – 3: Victimized by Kipnis’ error in the seventh, but issued a walk and gave up a single as he faced four batters and recorded only one out.

Dan Otero – 6: Came into a bases-loaded, one-out situation and got out of it by getting Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo out. Set the Cubs down in order in the eighth.

Mike Clevinger – 6: Pitched a perfect ninth inning.

Jesse Spector