The Chicago Cubs lost 4-3 on Monday to the Milwaukee Brewers and the ugly defeat was capped off by Kris Bryant’s ninth-inning boner that allowed the game-winning run to score.
There were several things the Cubs did wrong, both on the field and decision wise from Joe Maddon, but at the end it was this brain fart by Bryant that brought the Brewers within four games in the central division race.
So, with the bases loaded and one out, Jesse Chavez got a ground ball from Christian Yelich. The obvious play here is for Bryant to get the easy out at home. Instead, he tried to turn the double play by retreating back to third base and then throwing across the diamond to first. Yelich, a left-hand hitter and a fast base runner, beat the throw, reached safely on the fielder’s choice and the run scored.
Brewers walk off the Cubs on a Yelich fielders choice 😳 pic.twitter.com/TWzJ17cG7H
— Routine Baseball (@RoutineBaseball) September 3, 2018
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That came after Anthony Rizzo hit a go-ahead, two-strike, two-out, two-run home run in the eighth inning off Josh Hader. Yet, in the bottom of the eighth, Carl Edwards Jr. allowed two hits and two walks to cough up the lead that was quite frustrating.
You can tell right away when Edwards is on and when he’s not. It was pretty obvious from the start of his outing that he wasn’t sharp, but Maddon kept him in the game after walking Ryan Braun to load the bases. The Brewers pinch hit Mike Moustakas, who drew the bases-loaded walk to tie the game.
Steve Cishek came in and got the final out in the eighth, but then he was wild in the ninth, beginning that inning with a leadoff walk and hitting a batter. There was also a passed ball by Willson Contreras that allowed runners to move to second and third with no outs.
Curtis Granderson struck out and then Cishek hit Lorenzo Cain as well to load the bases. Then came Bryant’s bad decision to end the game.
Certainly a stinker by the Cubs, but they’ll just have to throw this one into the trash and think about tomorrow’s game. They still have a four-game lead in the division and are 5.5 up over the St. Louis Cardinals.
