In the first inning, after Tsuyoshi Wada held the Rays scoreless, the Cubs scored on a run on consecutive hits by Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo, and Starlin Castro. In a day filled with so much hype and excitement, it was a moment that animated the energy fans have been feeling over the last week. Good things are happening, and this showed it.
From there, the game was, for the most part, a reminder that this is going to be a process. Baez struck out four straight times. Rizzo and Castro went 0-7. The bullpen let in a few runs. It was nice to see the Cubs rally for a run in the 9th to tie things up, but the lost it in the 10th.
How much does that sour the mood of the day? Some. Even as we understand that baseball is, by nature, a long season full of ups and downs, losing on a day like today feels a little extra stinky.
Of course, I still feel good about the future.
Wada was good again today, by the way, and I enjoyed watching Ben Zobrist playing multiple positions and thinking about the possibilities.