Cubs' bullpen falters

Miscues, wild pitches hurt

DAYTONA BEACH -- The Daytona Cubs got another quality start from one of their pitchers Thursday night. What the Cubs didn't get was a strong finish.

Daytona reliever Adam Wynegar gave up a run in the ninth inning on two walks and two wild pitches. Then Cubs designated hitter Luis Montanez struck out on three pitches with the tying run on base to end the game as the Fort Myers Miracle held on for a 4-3 victory.

The Cubs scored once in the ninth on Jemel Spearman's third hit of the game, which also was his second RBI single. Ronny Cedeno got it started with a double to left. Cedeno's run would have tied it at 3 had the Miracle not picked up the gift run in the top of the inning.

Fort Myers third baseman Brett Stamburrino broke a 2-2 tie with a leadoff homer in the seventh off reliever Nick Martin (3-6), who had just entered the game. Stamburrino drove the 3-2 pitch over the wall in left field.

"All three bullpen guys hadn't pitched in five or six days," Cubs manager Rick Kranitz said. "They got some pitches up and that's bound to happen when you haven't been pitching. But we have to get them in there."

The Cubs (38-41 overall, 6-3 in the second half) lost by a run for the second straight game. Daytona stranded eight runners on base and four of them were left on when Montanez made the last outs in the third, seventh and ninth innings. Chicago's first-round pick from the 2000 draft has just three hits in his last 21 at-bats.

"He's struggling right now," Kranitz said. "Everyone goes through that."

The Cubs had team RBI leader Micah Hoffpauir, who bats from the left side of the plate, on the bench available to pinch hit. But Kranitz elected not to play the percentages against right-handed closer Beau Kemp, who gave up one run before coaxing Montanez to swing at an 0-2 curveball way off the plate.

"It's A-ball; it isn't the big leagues," Kranitz said. "Maybe in Double-A or Triple-A you do it to get a little righty-lefty advantage. I'm gonna let these guys hit. I (pinch hit) a few times in the first half, but these guys have to get it done. If they can't do it here, they're going to have trouble doing it in the big leagues."

The Cubs got a quality start from Ricky Nolasco, who went six innings and struck out four without issuing a walk. Nolasco gave up two runs on six hits.