For the second time in as many Brett Anderson starts, the Cubs were blown out of this one before they ever really had a chance. And this time, there was no inclement weather to blame. Instead, Anderson’s back will play the part of villain, and we’ll have to see exactly what that will mean for his near and long-term future with the team. Whether his back was the entire issue or not, it was clear that Anderson simply didn’t have anything tonight.
There will be fallout from this game, one way or another, as the Cubs made the decision to DFA Matt Szczur just prior, and now will have to figure out how they want to handle the nine-man bullpen, paired with the Anderson injury. Eddie Butler, you should note, started for Iowa today.
There’s more to tell from this game, including youngsters and fresh arrivals Felix Pena and Rob Zastryzny having to eat this one. I do like that the bats kept on keeping on, even as the game looked hopelessly out of reach.
And it wouldn’t be a true blowout without a little late game fun …