The strangest thing happened tonight.
Christopher Morel hit a leadoff home run on the first pitch of the game, and then … poof. My power went out. It flashed back on for a moment, long enough for me to see Willson Contreras hit a ridiculous 114.7 MPH homer, and then again for Morel’s RBI triple, but it turned off again immediately after that. What a bummer. Seemed like a fun game.
I’m kidding, of course, but I just don’t think a loss like that – in a season like this – deserves too much extra attention. It was bad. Very, very bad.
Though I guess Keegan Thompson does merit some discussion.
The Cubs hopeful starter was absolutely torched tonight, allowing 7 earned runs in 3.0 innings, which ballooned his ERA from 1.99 to 3.17. In June. And it’s not like we’re talking about a bunch of bad luck here, either: 5 hits, 3HRs, 2 hit batters, and a walk in just 3.0 IP. It was ugly.
I’m sure some Cubs fans are going to be clamoring for a return to the bullpen after this start, especially given that he was close to perfect as a multi-inning reliever this season, but has been routinely hit VERY hard during any prolonged stretch in the rotation. And it’s hard to blame them.
I’m not quite there yet, myself, but this is obviously something we were ALREADY concerned about before the season began. On the other hand, there’s not much to lose right now – and this was just one outing (even if it was only the Orioles). So I think it’s worth the continued experiment. For now.
Meanwhile, despite two homers, a triple, SEVEN walks, and seven total hits, the Cubs managed to put just three runs on the board over nine innings. That’s a really good way to lose a game. See ya tomorrow!