Chat » me on Bryants single.Anthony Rizzo followed with a single

DENVER -- Mike Montgomery was on a strict pitch count but did all he could to stretch it in his starting debut for the Chicago Cubs.Montgomery pitched four hitless inning before the low pitch count and a mistake ended his day two outs too soon, as the Cubs cruised to a 9-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night.Kris Bryant launched a long homer and drove in four runs, and Ben Zobrist had three hits and also went deep for Chicago.Montgomery was solid in his first start since coming over in a trade with Seattle on July 20 but didnt stick around long enough to earn the decision. Manager Joe Maddon was cautious with the young left-hander and took him out after giving up a one-out homer in the fourth, the first and only hit he allowed.Montgomery threw just 60 pitches but had not started since July 17 with the Mariners. His first seven appearances with Chicago were out of the bullpen, so Maddon kept him on a strict pitch count.Its almost like spring training for him right now. Just stretching him out, Maddon said. I thought he was outstanding. Would I have loved to have left him out there? Absolutely.He walked two batters through four innings and got Ryan Raburn to start the fifth, but Nick Hundley got Colorados first hit off the lefty with a solo blast to left that made it 7-1.Maddon took him out after the homer and Trevor Cahill (3-3) pitched the final 4 2/3 innings for the win.As a competitor I wanted to stay in, Montgomery said. I was a little pissed but I understand the situation and the pitch count. Thats just how it goes. I felt good but I respect the decision.Miguel Montero had three hits and drove in three for the Cubs, who spoiled the major league debut of Rockies starter Jeff Hoffman.I felt very comfortable here, Hoffman said. I dont know why that was. I was really expecting to be nervous, to be jittery, all that stuff. For my first big league game, this was exactly what I was expecting.Hoffman (0-1), a former first-round pick who was acquired a year ago as part of the deal that sent Troy Tulowitzki to Toronto, started off well but ran into trouble the second time through against the NL Central leaders.Bryant made it 7-0 in the fifth with his 31st homer, a three-run drive that went an estimated 469 feet to dead center.It was scoreless until the fourth, when Dexter Fowler led with a single, went to third on an errant pickoff attempt by Hoffman and came home on Bryants single.Anthony Rizzo followed with a single, Zobrists double made it 2-0 and Montero beat the shift with a two-run single to right.The three-run homer hurt, Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. The big one was that two-run single by Montero. We get an out there, were in good shape.Hoffman allowed seven runs -- six earned -- on seven hits in four-plus innings.The Cubs added a run in the eighth and another on Zobrists 14th homer in the ninth.TRAINERS ROOMRockies: CF Charlie Blackmon was not in the starting lineup for the second straight game because of a bruised right toe. Manager Walt Weiss said Blackmon originally hurt it colliding with Washington pitcher Gio Gonzalez on Tuesday. Weiss said he doesnt think its a long-term issue but as of now running in the outfield is tough for Blackmon.ROSTER MOVEThe Rockies optioned RHP Christian Bergman to Albuquerque in order to recall Hoffman from Triple-A. To make room for Hoffman on the 40-man roster, Colorado placed LHP Jason Gurka on waivers for the purpose of granting him his unconditional release. Gurka pitched nine games for Colorado last year.UP NEXTThe Cubs will send RHP Jason Hammel (13-5, 2.75) against his former team to face Rockies LHP Jorge De La Rosa (7-7, 5.29) in the series finale Sunday. Cheap Billy Williams Jersey . P.A. Parenteau scored early in the third period to help the Avs edge Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night. Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start. Cheap Mark Grace Jersey . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. http://www.cheapcubsjerseysshop.com/?tag=cheap-fergie-jenkins-jersey . The next step is a better finish. Bae played bogey-free Friday on another gorgeous day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Robert Garrigus going into the weekend. Cheap Ryne Sandberg Jersey . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. Cheap MLB Jerseys . Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April. American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker. NEW YORK -- Closer Aroldis Chapman felt as if Cubs manager Joe Maddon misused him during the playoffs. Though Chapman never voiced his concerns to his manager, he had a specific problem that he was sent out in the ninth inning of Game 6 of the World Series, despite a seven-run Chicago lead.The Cubs won the World Series, overcoming a two-run game-tying eighth inning homer allowed by Chapman in Game 7. Chapman said he was tired from his usage.Personally, I dont agree with the way he used me, but he is the manager and he has the strategy, Chapman said during a conference call to officially announce his new five-year, $86 million deal as the Yankees closer. My job is to be ready, to be ready to pitch, however that is, however many innings that is, I need to be ready for that. I need to go in and do my job.Chapman didnt think he should have gone out to the mound in the ninth inning of Game 6 with the Cubs up seven runs. Chapman had pitched in the seventh and eighth, throwing a total of 20 pitches. He faced one batter in the ninth.There were couple of games, but the one I can point to is Game 6, Chapman said when asked for specifics for his criticism. The game was open and I dont think he needed to [leave] me in the ninth. The important game was going to be Game 7 because we had that game almost won. The next day I came in tired.After Game 6 of the Series, Maddon defended his deecision to leave Chapman in.dddddddddddd However, the next day, before Game 7, he said he should have had another reliever warming in the top of the ninth so Chapman would not have to take the mound again.I never told him about my opinion with the way he was using me, Chapman said. The way I feel as baseball players we are warriors. Our job is to be ready to do what we need to do on the field. They send me out there to pitch, Im going to go out there and pitch.If Im healthy, Im going to go out there and pitch. If Im tired, Im going to put that aside and just get through it. It is kind of like a warrior, they send you somewhere and you have to go there and your mentality is you have to go there and do your job.Chapman, 28, returns to the Yankees, which has left some of the teams supporters disappointed. Chapman was suspended for 30 games last year after violating the domestic violence agreement.I understand they would have thoughts like that, Chapman said. We are humans. We make mistakes and we move forward. Ive done therapy over the years and it has helped me to be a better person and it pushes me to be a better person every day. Like I said before: Nobody is perfect. The important thing is that we learn from those mistakes and we move forward. ' ' '