The Cubs came to Boston Friday hoping they could win a couple of games and maybe still get home games next week in the Wild Card Series.
Instead, after losing the doubleheader nightcap 2-0 to the Red Sox, there’s a mathematical chance they could be dumped into the third wild card spot and wind up facing the Braves in Atlanta
This time, the Cubs went just 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position — but that’s because they didn’t really have many RISP. All the Cubs’ seven hits on the night were singles.
The top run-scoring offense in MLB has looked almost completely impotent over the last five games, scoring a total of nine runs, losing four of them.
This, obviously, is not good.
Let’s take a look back.
The Cubs didn’t have anyone past first base until the top of the fifth. In that inning, Nico Hoerner led off with a single and two outs later, Matt Shaw singled Nico to third. But that was that when Pete Cros-Armstrong grounded out.
Meanwhile, David Peterson was throwing well over the first five innings. He got some defensive help from Shaw in the fourth [VIDEO].
Peterson threw five innings, allowed three hits and two walks, and struck out six. Here’s more on Peterson’s evening [VIDEO].
More on Peterson from BCB’s JohnW53:
David Peterson went into Friday’s game having pitched 61 innings since the All-Star Game break, with a 2.95 ERA. That tied him with Sonny Gray for 20th best since then. With his five shutout innings Friday, his ERA is down to 2.73.
I would not hesitate to start Peterson in a Wild Card game, especially if it’s against the Phillies (though that’s looking unlikely, more on that coming).
Javier Assad took over from Peterson and threw two very good innings, the sixth and seventh, while the Cubs offense remained moribund.
Then Assad got in trouble in the bottom of the eighth with a leadoff walk. One out later (and after the Cubs unsuccessfully challenged that Connor Wong didn’t re-touch second on a fly to right), Assad was replaced by Ryan Rolison. Rolison struck out Roman Anthony, but then issued a walk to Jahmai Jones.
And then Wilyer Abreu doubled off the Green Monster and both runners scored, and you just knew that was going to be it for the Cubs, who went down 1-2-3 in the ninth.
“Sad” facts, as John called them in his message to me:
The Cubs have tallied nine runs runs in their five games. They have scored in only seven of their last 51 innings, starting with the sixth last Sunday at Cincinnati.
…
The Cubs had been shut out by the Red Sox in only one of their previous 28 regular-season games, by 17-0 at Boston on April 27, 2024. They also were blanked, 1-0, in Game 1 of the 1918 World Series, played at Comiskey Park on Sept. 5, 1918. The pitcher for the Red Sox was Babe Ruth.
So everyone’s now off to Florida to play the third game of this series Sunday afternoon. In the meantime, here are the permutations for the Cubs.
The Cubs are 88-73. The best record they can finish with is 89-73, obviously.
If the Cubs are 89-73, the Phillies would have to get to 90-72 (sweep the Rays) to finish ahead of them. The Padres have to go only 2-1 to finish ahead of the Cubs. If both of those teams do that, the Cubs would play the Braves. That could also happen if the Cubs lose Sunday. Then the Phillies would have to go 2-1 and the Padres just 1-2 to finish ahead of the Cubs.
So we’re still kind of in a holding pattern to see who the Cubs will be playing, and where. At this point, the only way the Cubs could still play at home is if they win Sunday and the Padres get swept and the Phillies win no more than two of their three against the Rays. So yes… I’m saying there’s still a chance.
The Cubs will have a rare Saturday off. Their flight to Florida is supposed to arrive well after midnight tonight and they and the Red Sox will both rest up before they play Sunday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. CT at Tropicana Field, televised on Marquee Sports Network. Please stick around BCB on Saturday, as we’ll have plenty here, including a game thread that will post at 5 p.m. CT so you can follow along with the Phillies and Padres games, which start at 6:15 p.m. CT and 8:40 p.m. CT, respectively.
At this time we don’t know who will start for the Cubs on Sunday. It could be Shōta Imanaga, it could be some kind of modified bullpen game… as always, we await developments. The Red Sox, whose postseason series against the Yankees is locked in, are likely to also use some sort of bullpen game on Sunday.
Hopefully the Cubs bats show up in Florida. They’ve been absent in Chicago and Boston all week.
