Tonight’s game was almost TOO on the nose for the way things have gone.
You had the Cubs, working a six-game losing streak, facing a team on a nine-game losing streak – but on the road – in a must-win situation. You had Kyle Hendricks taking a no-hitter into the sixth, while the bats managed just one run to that point against terrible pitching, despite tons of baserunners. Oh, and did I mention the THREE errors they’d already made?
Then, Hendricks, in the 7th, gave up hit after hit after hit, seeing the Pirates tie the game. With the bases thereafter loaded and still no outs in the 7th (after an off-day, with a full September bullpen), there wasn’t even anyone up in the Cubs’ bullpen at that point. By the time Hendricks finally came out – after a run-scoring double and A FOURTH Cubs error – the game was more or less out of hand.
They added a fifth error later just for good measure. Even the new guy, Nico Hoerner, was not immune. (Though he did, once again, have some nice ABs.)
That game was another hilarious tale to tell about the collapse of the Cubs this year, and if significant change weren’t already inevitable (it is), you could point to tonight’s game as emblematic of everything the Cubs did so embarrassingly badly this year.