The Cubs gave up eight runs to the Cardinals. Again. About that, from BCB’s JohnW53:
This is the sixth straight game in which the Cubs have allowed at least seven runs, tying for their longest streak of the Modern Era. They set the record in their first six games of the era, in 1901. This is the fifth time they have duplicated it. The last was in 1999.
This time, they got closer, losing 8-7. In some ways it was worse than Monday’s blowout, as there were missed opportunities, some bad umpiring, and a one brain fart that resulted in a Cardinals run.
Let’s begin at the beginning, which was really a continuation of Monday’s game. How so? Well, while the Cubs were going down harmlessly in the first two innings, more Cardinals hit two-run homers, as if the four they hit Monday weren’t enough. Lars Nootbaar did that in the second and Masyn Winn in the third, for four Cardinals runs.
In between those home runs, though, the Cubs put together a nicely-done five-run top of the third. Nico Hoerner and Matt Shaw began the inning with singles, and after Reese McGuire struck out, Ian Happ walked to load the bases.
Kyle Tucker’s single tied the game 2-2 [VIDEO].
Two pitches later, Seiya Suzuki made it 5-2 [VIDEO].
That was Suzuki’s 21st of the year, matching his career high — and we still have a bit more than half a season to go. He could hit 40. His 67 RBI are now tied for the NL lead with Eugenio Suárez, and only seven fewer than his career high, set last year.
After Winn’s aforementioned homer in the bottom of the third inning, the Cubs led 5-4 but did not score in the fourth. About the Cubs’ big third inning, by BCB’s JohnW53:
The Cubs’ five-run third inning was their biggest outburst in 28 games, since they scored six runs in the seventh at Cincinnati on May 23. Their last five-run inning had come three days earlier, at Miami. They also had an eight-run inning in that game.
For the season, they have had nine innings of five runs, four of six and one each of seven and eight.
Then came the fateful Cardinals fourth.
Nolan Gorman homered to lead off the inning — the Cardinals’ seventh homer of the series, but first without anyone on base. The game is tied 5-5. Pedro Pagés then doubled.
Then this happened:
I am sorry not sorry, plate umpire Paul Clemons, but pitch 7 should have been called strike three. If we had the challenge system in place, the Cubs would have challenged and won, and Victor Scott II would have struck out. There should have been a runner on second and one out. Instead, there are two on and nobody out. Brendan Donovan, the next hitter, flied to left. There should have been two out and a runner on second.
Winn then doubled both runners in to give the Cardinals a 7-5 lead. Again, if the strike had been properly called, only one run would have scored.
Well, that’s bad. Pete Crow-Armstrong forgot how many outs there were and didn’t throw the ball to the infield until Winn was rounding third. Winn scored to make it 8-5. If the previously mentioned bad call had been made correctly, that fly out would have, in fact, ended the inning. But… it didn’t.
Now, of course, sequencing likely is different if that bad call had not been made, and who knows exactly what would have happened. But between the bad umpiring and PCA’s brain fart — and you can see on his face in that clip that he immediately knew what he did wrong — those likely cost the Cubs at least one run and possibly two.
And thus, the headline to this recap, instead of something unprintable.
Give the Cubs credit, they did attempt a comeback. In the top of the sixth, Dansby Swanson led off with a single.
One out later, Nico… homered! [VIDEO]
Nico’s first long ball of the year made it 8-7. It was his first home run in 78 games and 319 at-bats, since he had two Sept. 25, 2024 at Philadelphia.
In the seventh, Kyle Tucker walked and Suzuki singled with one out. PCA tried to bunt his way on, but the bunt was hit a bit too hard. He got a sac bunt for the effort, but with two out, that made things more difficult, and Swanson flied to right to end the inning.
The Cubs bullpen had been going through a rough stretch recently, but in this game, they held the Cardinals down for four innings. Caleb Thielbar, Chris Flexen, Drew Pomeranz and Ryan Pressly threw one scoreless inning each, combining to allow two hits, with no walks and two strikeouts.
And the Cubs tried to rally again in the ninth off Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley. With one out, Tucker singled. One out later, PCA also singled, with Tucker taking third. PCA then stole second, and that gave Swanson a chance to drive in the tying and lead runs.
He almost did it, too. It took this great defensive play by Nolan Arenado to stop Swanson [VIDEO].
Tip o’ the cap to Arenado, a 10-time Gold Glove winner and one of the greatest defensive third baseman ever. Former Cub Willson Contreras also makes a great stretch for the ball and Swanson was out by half a step to end the game.
Here’s PCA on his brain fart [VIDEO].
Here are Craig Counsell’s postgame comments [VIDEO].
So, this isn’t a good stretch for the Cubs, who have now lost five of their last six and, with the Brewers win Tuesday, have had their division lead cut to 2½ games over Milwaukee and St. Louis. This sort of stretch happens to good teams all the time, as John reminded me in our email discussion last night:
Nearly every good team has a bad stretch, often prolonged.
The Yankees are 3-9 in their last 12, including a six-game losing streak. They had a stretch in which they scored 1, 1, 3, 0, 0, 0 and 2 runs.
The Dodgers had a month-long 8-12 stretch.
And, as you surely recall, even the great 2016 Cubs had a three-week stretch, right around this time of year, where they went 5-15 and were outscored 123-90. They had a 12½-game lead cut to 6½ games over that 20-game span. That season worked out pretty well, I think you’d agree.
This year’s Cubs team is good, too. They’ll get out of this funk, and likely pretty soon.
It would be a good thing if that started tonight in St. Louis. Matthew Boyd will start for the Cubs and Erick Fedde will go for the Cardinals. Game time is again 6:45 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.