NEWSLETTER
What can you say? That was awful. Just so very awful.
Blowing the game in the 9th, and then losing on a walk-off in the 10th were bad enough, but it was really the horrible, horrible 4th inning that was the low point. There, the Cubs surrendered their four-run lead and set the stage for the disappointment to come. Tyler Chatwood could not throw strikes, loading the bases on two gift walks and a hit batter. After a sac fly scored the first free run of the inning, Addison Russell dropped a throw from Anthony Rizzo to allow another run to score. And then Kyle Schwarber could catch a tough, but very catchable fly ball, and the game was tied. The Cardinals did nothing to earn a single run that inning, and yet they came away with four thanks to the Cubs’ generosity. It was a low point, and, as meatbally as I’ll sound in this moment, I have to say: it was embarrassing.
For a moment, it seemed like it might be the OK kind of embarrassing, as Javy Baez and Anthony Rizzo homered to put the Cubs back on top, and the bullpen was brilliant in relief of Chatwood.
But Brandon Morrow blew his first save with the Cubs, allowing a walk and a couple hits to tie it. Then Luke Farrell gave up the walk-off tater to Kolten Wong in the 10th.
Each of the 9th and 10th for the Cardinals featured leadoff walks by Cubs pitchers, by the way. So that’s groovy.
There will be more to say about this one in time, but I’m so fired up right now that I’ll let it sit for a minute.
