Smyly slings quality, Morel mashes in Cubs' all-around win

MINNEAPOLIS -- Trailing early against the Twins and MLB ERA leader Sonny Gray on Friday night, Drew Smyly tossed another quality start to keep the Cubs within striking distance as they began their nine-game, three-city road trip.

The offense made Gray work, got him out of the game and took advantage against Minnesota’s bullpen. Matt Mervis and Yan Gomes provided big RBI hits, and Christopher Morel served the exclamation point with his second homer in three games since being recalled from Triple-A Iowa in the Cubs' 6-2 comeback victory at Target Field.

“It was just an awesome team win,” Smyly said. “I’m really excited about this win. We’re going up against Sonny Gray, ERA leader, and he was dialed in early in the game, couldn’t get much going. But we kept having good ABs and we just stayed in it, and then [at] the end of the game, we broke it open.”

Smyly (4-1) allowed two runs in six innings, giving up just four hits and one walk along the way. Adbert Alzolay pitched two scoreless innings of relief and Mark Leiter Jr. finished the game with a perfect ninth.

On a day when Nico Hoerner was placed on the 10-day injured list, Morel took his spot at second base and at the top of the batting order. Morel had two hits and capped his day with an impressive homer to the second deck in right-center field.

The ninth-inning blast went a Statcast-projected 429 feet and left the bat at 109.2 mph.

“Nico’s a huge part of this team and everybody wants him back and to see him in the lineup and on the field,” Smyly said. “But, I mean, Mo’s just electric. Everyone knows it. He can play any position. You want him out there, too, just as bad, honestly, because he can change the game at any moment.”

Smyly gave the offense time to find its stride.

He allowed two runs in the second inning, but limited the damage from there and recorded Chicago’s 20th quality start of the season, which is tied for the MLB lead.

“I think he continues to pitch his game,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “The breaking ball showed up later. A couple hits here and there, but not a lot of hard contact. I thought we could have done a couple things better defensively early on that gave up the two runs. I don’t think he ever really looked like he was in too much trouble.”

Minnesota tried to attack Smyly early, with the veteran left-hander throwing just 75 pitches -- 53 for strikes -- in six innings. He gave up just one hit over his last three innings.

Smyly bounced back after a season-high three walks led to his shortest outing of the year in his last start, when he managed just 3 1/3 innings.

“Throwing 70 pitches in six innings, they’re swinging,” Smyly said. “So, I always just try to induce quick outs. I don’t want them to be in the box too long. So, just work with Yan. He just seems to have this sense of keeping the hitters in between and guessing. I just want to fill it up and try to get some weak contact, let them hit it at somebody.”

With Gray out of the game after 5 1/3 innings and 94 pitches, Chicago's offense capitalized against the Twins’ bullpen.

Patrick Wisdom, Mervis, Trey Mancini and Gomes had four straight hits in the seventh, with Mervis hitting an RBI double to plate Wisdom, while Gomes put Chicago ahead with a single to right.

And then Morel followed with his big blast to a part of the stadium rarely visited by right-handed hitters.

“Same game … the pitchers here, they got more experience,” Morel said. “The more experience you got, I need to take my pitch. If I see the pitch right in the zone, I need to make the adjustment and make good contact. If it’s not in the zone, then I need to take it. So, it’s the same patience, different stadiums.”