Losing always stinks, but some games I’m just a lot more easily able to shrug off. This is one of them.
For one thing, I am just very happy to see Cole Hamels have a decent day (even with the periodic assistance of a weird and bad strike zone (Brewers definitely got the benefit, too)). He had some trouble in the first, giving up a two-run single, and that was it. The bullpen was great behind him, and it was just a very well-pitched game overall. Normally, you hold a team to two runs, you’re gonna win.
As for the Cubs getting shut out, again, it stinks that they couldn’t get anything going, but it’s not as if they were flailing away up there. Seven strikeouts on the day is not terrible (and one to Kyle Schwarber was completely bogus), and the Cubs just otherwise couldn’t get their well struck balls to drop. I added something to the usual box score to demonstrate what I’m talking about. Just a flukey day, in my opinion.