These games are taking on a sad sameness.

Good starting pitching. (Mostly) good relief pitching, except for one mistake. A moribund offense.

It happened again Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field and the Pirates, who just allowed the Brewers 33 runs in a three-game series, gave the Cubs just two and the homestand began on a down note with a 3-2 loss.

This game started out like so many others recently, with the Cubs starting pitcher, this time Colin Rea, breezing through the early innings. He allowed just one baserunner through three, a leadoff single in the third. Then Rea got himself in trouble with a two-out walk in the fourth. That was followed by a double by Andrew McCutchen, who even at 38 loves to torment the Cubs. He had a lifetime OPS of .854 vs. the Cubs entering this game, with 32 home runs in 202 games. The double gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead.

The Cubs matched that run in the bottom of the inning. Seiya Suzuki led off with a double and two outs later, Pete Crow-Armstrong singled him in [VIDEO].

Unfortunately, a poor baserunning choice got PCA nabbed at second. This would not be the last bad baserunning play by PCA in this game.

Rea finished five solid innings, allowing three hits and a run, with five strikeouts [VIDEO].

Here’s more on Rea’s outing [VIDEO].

Even more on Rea from BCB’s JohnW53:

Rea’s start was the 43rd by a Cubs pitcher this season of at least five innings with no more than one run allowed. They had 46 games all of last year, down from 50 in 2023.
The top four this year are nearly equal. Matthew Boyd has nine; Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga and Rea, eight. Jameson Taillon has five; Ben Brown, four; and Justin Steele, one.
The Cubs were 35-7 in the games before Friday.

Andrew Kittredge threw a scoreless sixth and then the Pirates plated another run off Ryan Brasier in the seventh. (My feeling is that when Jameson Taillon returns, Brasier’s going to be shown the door.) That agave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead.

Again, the Cubs matched the run in the bottom of the inning. PCA reached by being hit by a pitch on an 0-2 count. Nico Hoerner singled and Dansby Swanson laid down a bunt that was fumbled around by Pirates catcher Henry Davis. Originally ruled a sacrifice and error, it was changed to a hit later.

Bases loaded, nobody out. Gallows humor: In what astonishing yet entertaining way would the Cubs fail to score in this situation?

Well, they actually did score. Matt Shaw’s sac fly tied the game 2-2 [VIDEO].

Brad Keller threw a 1-2-3 eighth and then the Cubs proceeded to run their way out of the game. Before I tell you about that, though, I want you to look at this called strikeout on Seiya Suzuki:

Brock Ballou, today’s plate umpire, is one of the minor-league call-ups. That has to be one of the worst calls all year. Pitch 5, called strike 3, was not even CLOSE to being a strike. Suzuki actually has very good strike-zone judgment and that pitch? I mean, I would have understood if he got himself tossed over that. Or if Craig Counsell had come out to argue. That’s blatantly ridiculous. I cannot WAIT for the challenge system.

Sigh. Anyway, one out after that, Ian Happ walked. The lead run is on base!

Not for long, unfortunately [VIDEO].

Seriously, what is Happ thinking there? You can even hear the Pirates announcer on that clip say, “Wow.”

On to the ninth and Daniel Palencia. With one out, up steps Chicago native Jack Suwinski, who has been so bad this year that he spent an extended period of time sent to Triple-A. Since his latest return from the minors, he entered this game batting .118/.286/.255 (6-for-51) with 18 strikeouts.

So what does he do? Of course, he homers off Palencia, who had allowed two home runs to the 166 previous batters he’d faced this year.

There’s still a bottom of the ninth, of course, and time for a possible thrilling comeback and maybe a walk-off win.

PCA led off with a single, his third hit of the game. Then this happened [VIDEO].

PCA had that base stolen — by a lot. And then he just kept sliding. That, you knew, was going to be that. Nico Hoerner flied to left and Swanson grounded out and that was the game.

Maybe this is just because the Cubs have looked so bad recently, but I fear there’s a real danger of them missing the postseason entirely. They can’t seem to hit — how is it that the Brewers (and Reds before them, the Pirates had scored just 16 runs during their five-game losing streak) demolished Pirates pitching and the Cubs can’t?

If you have the answer to that, let Counsell know.

One more thing before I wrap up: I was very much against sending Justin Turner up to bat for Michael Busch in the sixth inning of a tie game. Left-handed pitcher, sure, but how is Busch going to start hitting LHP if he never faces them? Turner struck out — Busch could have done that. Then that batting-order turn came up again with a right-hander on the mound and two runners on in the seventh, and gee, it might have been good to have Busch at the plate. Turner popped up to end that inning.

Lastly, I owe you, the BCB reader, an apology. Yes, there was supposed to be a Heroes and Goats this morning for Thursday’s game. I got busy and just spaced it out. Have already apologized to Thomas and H&G for Thursday’s game will post at 7 p.m. CT tonight. Then there will be H&G for this loss tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. CT.

The Cubs will try to even up the series Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Shōta Imanaga will start for the Cubs and Mike Burrows will go for Pittsburgh. Game time is again 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.