The Chicago Cubs are getting good at devastating losses, huh? Nothing drains your soul as much as coming back in the ninth inning and then still losing in extra innings. Well, maybe blowing a six-run lead the very next day might hurt just a little more.
Despite a shitty 1-5 home stand against the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Guardians last week, the Cubs entered Monday’s series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers with a big opportunity to close the gap in the NL Central Division. Four straight games against the first-place team is big, especially as MLB is a week away from the All-Star Break, which includes the draft. After that, front offices will turn their attention to the trade deadline and right now the Cubs are trending back to sellers after yet another bullshit loss.
The Cubs are now 7 games back of the Brewers in the division after they weren’t able to hold on to a 6-0 lead on Monday. Left-handed starting pitcher Drew Smyly was only able to go 3.2 innings, after allowing three runs in the third inning and then allowing the first two batters to reach in the fourth.
But hey, hats off to Michael Fulmer. The veteran righty was atrocious through May, but since June he’s been a lockdown reliever for David Ross. Fulmer got the last out in the fourth inning, getting William Contreras to ground out to him with runners at second and third, and then pitched two more scoreless innings.
After scoring six runs through three innings, the Cubs offense didn’t do anything more, but thanks to Fulmer the Cubs still had a 6-3 lead in the seventh inning. Julian Merryweather began the inning, but after getting two outs the righty walked back-to-back hitters with Christian Yelich at first base.
This was the game. Bottom of the seventh, up 6-3, two outs, the bases loaded, fighting to stay in a division race. Left-handed hitter Jesse Winker, who has been awful this year, was due up and Ross went to left-handed reliever Anthony Kay.
The Brewers pinch-hit right-handed hitter Jahmai Jones, who on the first pitch from Kay, hit a game-tying double to center field.
For some reason Mark Leiter Jr. wasn’t the guy brought in by Ross in the biggest moment of the game. No idea what the hell Ross and the rest of the coaching staff was thinking, but apparently bringing in one of your most dependable relief pitchers to get the most important out in this game wasn’t their first thought.
Who knows, maybe it wouldn’t have mattered anyway, as Leiter eventually came in later in the seventh inning because Kay did not record an out and then in the eighth inning Leiter allowed two runs. The Brewers won 8-6 in another game that the Cubs had no business losing.
After getting to one game under .500 following their first game in London against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cubs have now lost 7 of their last 8 and are 38-45, back to fourth place in the division.
Just self-inflicted mistakes, over and over again.
