In order to get these posts out as quickly as possible after a game, and in order to keep my thoughts fresh, I often write as the game goes along. In this one, here’s what I was ready to go with this, when Welington Castillo kept the game alive with a single, but then Dexter Fowler went down 0-2 to LaTroy Hawkins with two outs:
The Cubs got some obvious breaks in this one – a couple runs gifted thanks to a Dexter Fowler bloop that shouldn’t have dropped, and an Anthony Rizzo pop foul that did drop – so I’m not going to complain too loudly about bad luck, even though the BABIP gods gobbled up a couple liners. Moreover, the Cubs still had plenty of opportunities to come back in this one and couldn’t make it happen. The Rockies gave ’em free runners via four(!) errors, and the pitchers gave ’em free runners. Three runs won’t cut it. With the Cubs’ bullpen pitching as well as it did, this one is mostly on the offense.
It was a mixed start for Kyle Hendricks, who had pitched one inning since March 30. He wasn’t at his best, and was definitely getting squared up by the time he was pulled in the fifth. But a better outfield route by Chris Coghlan on a bases clearing triple or a tailor-made double play ball that Hendricks doesn’t deflect, and he may have cruised through six or so, giving up only a couple runs.
Again, though, I’m not complaining about bad luck. The Cubs got some breaks, didn’t get others. The Rockies got some breaks, didn’t get others.
BUT THEN FOWLER HIT THAT 0-2 PITCH ABOUT 430 FEET TO RIGHT FIELD AND THE CUBS TOOK THE LEAD!