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ANAHEIM, Calif. – The bottom of the fifth inning of the Cubs’ 7-4 loss Tuesday seemed like it would never end. First baseman Matt Mervis’ fielding error extended it, and then lefty reliever Brandon Hughes faced four batters without recording an out, marred by uncharacteristic control issues.
Then, right-hander Julian Merryweather tapped in. Mercifully, he struck out Brandon Drury on three straight sliders. The next inning, he retired three straight batters and recorded two more strikeouts.
“It’s been feeling good mechanically, physically,” Merryweather told the Sun-Times recently.