ST. LOUIS — Tuesday was a tough loss. The Cubs blew a lead, Pete Crow-Armstrong had a mental mistake that led to the decisive run and the Cubs lost their third in a row and fifth in their last six games.
“Go to sleep and wake up,” Crow-Armstrong said on Tuesday when asked how he gets past a day like that.
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The Cubs did that – in a big way. They beat the Cardinals 8-0 at Busch Stadium and will look to salvage the series split in Thursday’s series finale matinee.
Here are three takeaways from the Cubs’ (47-33) blowout victory:
Home Run Fest
The Cubs offense has been solid despite the poor team results in the previous six games.
They averaged six runs a game during that 1-5 stretch. The lineup wasn’t the issue.
Ian Happ made sure to emphasize that on the first pitch. He homered on the first offering from St. Louis right-hander Erick Fedde and set the tone for what was to come.
It was the first of three homers the Cubs hit on the night. Reese McGuire’s two-run blast in the second made it a 4-0 game. It’s the fifth home run for the backup catcher.
Kyle Tucker’s leadoff blast in the third made it 5-0. The Cubs scored in the first five innings and had a base runner in seven of their nine innings. The offense continues to rake and that’s a good thing as they look to snap out of their first real funk of the season.
Stopper Boyd
Where would the Cubs be without Matthew Boyd?
The left-hander was an under-the-radar signing in the offseason and he tossed six shutout innings Wednesday, allowing just three hits with three strikeouts. The adage that “momentum is the next day’s starting pitcher” rang true for the Cubs on Wednesday. He recorded his 1,000th career inning in the process, too.
Boyd was terrific, like he has been most season and that’s notable given what happened in his last outing.
The left-hander caught a rocket liner from Mariners’ shortstop J.P. Crawford, the momentum from it hit his shoulder, causing bruising and swelling in the area and creating a brief doubt as to whether he’d be good to go for his next outing.
Boyd quickly quashed those concerns.
He was his stellar self and lowered his season ERA to 2.65 in 91.2 innings. When the Cubs have needed a big outing, Boyd has been the guy to turn to – and he filled that role again on Wednesday.
Hodge’s return
Craig Counsell said Porter Hodge would be eased back into action after he was activated from the 15-day injured list on Tuesday.
The right-hander was back in the ninth inning in his first game action since suffering the oblique injury, but the final frame of a blowout qualifies as a softer landing.
Hodge pitched for the first time since May 17, tossing a scoreless frame and facing just four hitters. His fastball topped at 95.2 mph, a touch slower than his average of 96 mph, but that’s not too concerning in his first game action in over a month.
The Cubs bullpen has been a strength this season and adding a key piece like Hodge back in it is a good thing. They’ll continue to work him back into action and hope he can be another leverage option for Counsell.