NEWSLETTER
Well, I supposed all I asked for this morning was a more competitive loss, not an actual win … so this one’s on me.
The Cubs were at least somewhat competitive in this one, insofar as they did lose an early lead by the middle innings, but didn’t allow the game to turn into a blowout. Hurray? It’s still a four-game series sweep at home, and a double-digit losing streak.
Matt Swarmer was getting some awkward swings and check swings today, so the stuff must’ve looked pretty good, but he was so wild that it didn’t much matter. Fewer than half his pitches were strikes, and you’re never going to succeed like that (especially if you have just two pitches, and hitters can try to just sit on one or the other, knowing that even if they don’t get their pitch early, they will nevertheless probably wind up ahead in the count).
The bullpen was certainly better today, with guys like Mychal Givens and Daniel Norris managing bounce-back scoreless appearances. David Robertson was in a get-in-the-work inning, and naturally gave up a homer. Never seems to fail with closers.
Offensively, the Cubs obviously got a lift from Christopher Morel, and I’m still enjoying what he’s doing, but come on …
