I choose to look at the Cubs’ 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Cardinals this way.
As you know, the Cubs have had an inordinately large number of injuries to the pitching staff, to the point where there have now been five pitchers who have appeared in exactly one game for the team and several others who have been riding on the DFA train. I give Craig Counsell a tremendous amount of credit for managing this staff and bullpen to the point where the Cubs are in command of the top NL wild card spot and still
in the running for the NL Central title.
They are missing a lockdown closer since Daniel Palencia went down. Wednesday night, Counsell tried Trent Thornton in this role. Thornton has generally pitched pretty well this year and going into this game was second on the team in saves… with three. He had not blown a save opportunity as a Cub.
Welp. It didn’t work this time. What are you gonna do?
Before the disaster mentioned in the headline, this was a spectacularly good pitchers’ duel. Matthew Boyd, who has been lights-out since returning from his knee injury, threw seven shutout innings, allowing four hits and two walks, striking out five. He was in real trouble only in the sixth, when two singles followed by a two-out walk loaded the bases.
Boyd got Blaze Jordan to pop up in foul territory to end the inning [VIDEO].
More on Boyd’s evening from BCB’s JohnW53:
Boyd is the second Cubs pitcher to throw seven shutout innings this season, and the first on the road. Shota Imanaga did it at home vs. the Diamondbacks on May 2 and vs. the Twins on July 19.
Boyd gave up four hits, matching Imanaga vs. the Diamondbacks. He gave up six vs. the Twins.
Boyd’s start was the Cubs’ 153rd of its kind vs. the Cardinals since 1901 and the 22nd since 2000. Each of the last five has been at St. Louis: Kyle Hendricks in 2019 and 2022, Marcus Stroman later in 2022 and Hendricks again on July 12, 2024. Hendricks pitched 7.1 once; the others all were 4.0. Hendricks gave up seven hits in 2019. The others all were five-hitters.
And still more on Boyd’s outing [VIDEO].
Since returning from the knee injury, in seven starts Boyd has a 1.93 ERA and 1.143 WHIP.
But the Cubs couldn’t do anything with Dustin May, either. May allowed just one Cubs hit in five innings, this automatic double by Alex Bregman in the fourth [VIDEO].
Then May was lifted after the fifth having thrown only 70 pitches and was spotted with his teammates in the dugout — a literal hug-watch!
This prompted waves of speculation on social media that May had been traded in the middle of the game. This hasn’t happened — yet. May seems very likely to be dealt somewhere by Monday’s deadline, so this was almost certainly his last start for St. Louis.
Anyway, the Cubs couldn’t do anything with Cardinals relievers Justin Bruihl, Ryne Stanek, George Soriano or Riley O’Brien, who combined for four hitless innings, though the Cubs did pile up four walks between the sixth and ninth.
Cubs relief pitching did well to send the game to extras. Jacob Webb and Caleb Thielbar combined for two scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth, striking out five. Here’s the popup that sent the game to extras [VIDEO].
For a time, it looked like the Cubs would pull this one out. Dansby Swanson was the placed runner in the 10th. Nico Hoerner, who had been given the night off, pinch hit for Miguel Amaya and laced a line drive that was hit, unfortunately, right at JJ Wetherholt for an out.
Pete Crow-Armstrong then launched his 24th home run [VIDEO].
That was PCA’s 65th career home run. It was his first ever in extra innings. Now, that would have been a great way to lead this article, wouldn’t it?
It was not to be. Seiya Suzuki singled after the home run, just the Cubs’ third hit of the night, but Michael Busch hit into an inning-ending double play.
And then, the disastrous bottom of the 10th. A single and walk loaded the bases after the placed runner, and Thornton did get one out on a force at third that scored one run. This game is still winnable at this point, but Thornton gave up a two-run double to Ivan Herrera and that, as they say, was that.
Not the end of the world. But the Cubs need Palencia back, or who knows, maybe Ben Brown (who’s reported as symptom-free and beginning to throw in Arizona) can throw some lock-down relief for the big league team in a few weeks.
The Cubs didn’t lose any ground to either the Brewers or Phillies, as both those teams also lost Wednesday.
Here are Craig Counsell’s postgame remarks [VIDEO].
The Cubs still have a chance at a series win in the finale Thursday afternoon in St. Louis. Javier Assad will start for the Cubs and Andre Pallante goes for the Cardinals. Game time is 1:15 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network. The BCB game preview will post at 11 a.m. CT.
