NEWSLETTER
I can’t remember the last time I was so angry about a game where the Cubs came back to make a game out of something that looked like it was going to be a blowout. They were down 7-2 in the 6th inning, and lost by a single run. On paper, that sounds like an admirable outcome. A loss, yes, but they made a game of it and didn’t give up.
… except yeah, as you were watching it, that was just an enraging game full of missed opportunity after missed opportunity after missed opportunity.
This write up was going to be almost entirely about Caleb Kilian’s disastrous first inning, but then the rest of the game happened. It did not go the direction I expected. Kilian recovered to have a couple decent innings thereafter, but faltered again from there, and I would say the concerns are still massive about his ability to contribute in the big leagues down the road. More on that tomorrow.
One positive shout out to the bullpen for keeping the Marlins off the board. That, as much as anything, gave the Cubs a chance to come back.
Yet, despite the offense putting up six runs, it felt like an absolutely disastrous day at the plate.
The Cubs loaded the bases with nobody out TWICE today. In TOTAL in those two situations, they got one sacrifice fly out of it. AND ON THAT PLAY, Eric Hosmer somehow got doubled off of second base in one of the worst TOOTBLANs I can remember seeing.
Thereafter, they loaded the bases AGAIN, this time with one out (that’s the secret!), but got just two runs out of the thing. That made it a one-run game in the 8th, but that was that. It wasn’t enough to make up for the failures earlier. Maybe it was just one of those things where you had to be watching to really FEEL how “six runs” can be such a terrible showing. But I mean, the Cubs had two homers in the game, three times with the bases loaded, were gifted EIGHT walks … six runs is nothing.
And yet it still would’ve been enough to win if not for Kilian’s disaster of a first inning! If that very first batter’s bunt hadn’t been overturned at first base, everything could have gone differently … ah, probably not, because he had nothing in that first inning … but then the Cubs had SO MANY CHANCES ANYWAY … ah, now I’m just winding myself up. I need to go take another walk. Yes, another. I had to take one mid-game I was so pissed off.
