What an odd game on an odd evening at Wrigley Field. The Cubs lost the series opener to the Tigers 8-6 in 10 innings, but there’s way, way more than just that to discuss.
It began with a 30-minute rain delay in which there was… well, maybe a sprinkle or two, but no rain. In fairness to the Cubs, it sure looked like an area of rain was going to pass through the north side of Chicago, but it all fizzled out before it got to the city. The grounds crew stood by but never did cover the field.
When the game
began, Jameson Taillon took the mound, returning from a hamstring injury. After retiring the first Tigers hitter: Single, double, three-run homer by Riley Greene, homer by Dillon Dingler. This is what Taillon has done all year, unfortunately, and so the Cubs were down 4-0 before they even had a chance to bat.
That’s where the score remained until the bottom of the third. Miguel Amaya led off with a single and one out later, Seiya Suzuki launched this home run [VIDEO].
Five pitches later, Michael Busch made it 4-3 [VIDEO].
Both of those homers had help from a strong wind blowing out, but they count just the same. More on the back-to-back jacks from BCB’s JohnW53:
The back-to-back homers by Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch in the third inning were the Cubs’ third pair this season, after Alex Bregman and Ian Happ, on May 26, and Michael Conforto and Carson Kelly, on July 8.
They have gone back-to-back 409 times in regular-season games since 1876, plus back-to-back-to-back 11 times, for a total of 420 sets of multiple homers.
So the Cubs were down just one. And Taillon, after the two homers, retired 12 of the next 13 Tigers before issuing a pair of walks in the fifth, striking out six overall. Ryan Rolison entered and immediately gave up a single to load the bases. But then Rolison got out of the inning with a force play and line drive by Dingler that was caught by Nico Hoerner [VIDEO].
Rolison threw a 1-2-3 sixth, helped out by yet another great catch by Pete Crow-Armstrong [VIDEO].
Gavin Hollowell and Caleb Thielbar combined to throw a scoreless seventh, but the Cubs couldn’t score either, so they remained down by just one entering the eighth.
Tyler Ferguson then entered the game and served up a leadoff homer to Dingler, his second of the night. That turned out to be very, very important, because in the bottom of the inning, with one out Alex Bregman singled and Ian Happ hit this two-run homer [VIDEO].
That tied the game, which was great, but… if not for the homer in the top of the inning, the Cubs would have had the lead. And Happ moved up the Cubs’ all-time home run list with that one. From John:
Ian Happ’s game-tying homer in the eighth inning was his 191st as a Cub, breaking a tie with Hack Wilson for 11th most in franchise history. Hank Sauer is 10th, with 198; Bill Nicholson, ninth, with 205.
Jacob Webb issued a two-out walk in the ninth but got out of the inning scoreless. And then the Cubs had a chance to walk it off.
Dansby Swanson led off the ninth with a double off Kenley Jansen. Michael Conforto batted for Amaya and hit a ball to the warning track in center field, a 382-foot out that might have left the yard had the wind not died down. Swanson took third on the play, so the winning run is 90 feet away with one out.
The Tigers chose to intentionally pass PCA, so that brought up Suzuki with a chance to hit the game-winner. He struck out.
Then Busch drew a walk to load the bases.
Bregman ran the count to 3-0. One more ball and game over. He took two pitches for strikes, fouled off the sixth pitch of the at-bat and then… [VIDEO].
As you can see, Bregman swung at a very close pitch that would have been ball four. Sigh.
Trent Thornton, who’s been very good in relief, entered to throw the 10th. And the first two Tigers didn’t hit the ball out of the infield and scored a run anyway. In fact, the first of those balls hit Thornton in the ankle [VIDEO].
That’s just adrenaline going as you see Thornton run after the ball. He probably should have just eaten it. In any case he had to be helped off the field, and here’s a postgame update:
Because all the Cubs need is another pitching injury. And to add the proverbial insult to the injury, Thornton wound up charged with the loss.
Javier Assad replaced Thornton and got another ground ball, to Swanson, but he couldn’t make a play and a run scored. Then Nico Hoerner made an uncharacteristic error that loaded the bases and Spencer Torkelson, who’d been 0-for-4, singled in two to make it 8-5. Assad did recover to finish off the inning with no further damage.
The Cubs did make an effort to come back. Bregman was the placed runner. One out later he took third on a single by Happ, and scored on this fielder’s choice by Pedro Ramirez [VIDEO].
Swanson was next. He lined a single to center, and Ramirez took third when Tigers center fielder James Outman bobbled the ball.
So the tying run is on base with two out, but Carson Kelly grounded out to end the game.
Tough way to lose. Here are Craig Counsell’s postgame remarks [VIDEO].
The Cubs’ record in extra-inning games fell to 7-5 with the loss, and with the Brewers win Monday, the Cubs now trail in the NL Central by seven games. The Phillies won Monday, so the Cubs’ lead for the first wild card spot drops to half a game.
The Cubs and Tigers will meet again Tuesday at Wrigley Field. David Peterson will start for the Cubs and Framber Valdez goes for Detroit. Game time is again 7:05 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
