Enhanced Box Score: Astros 7, Cubs 3 – May 16, 2023

This stretch just keeps getting worse. It can always get worse. It could get even worse tomorrow.

I guess it was Justin Steele’s turn to “not have it,” as he was just not himself for most of the night, particularly in the 4th inning that did him and the Cubs in. Just a surprising volume of really bad pitches that the Astros then hammered.

Matt Mervis hit his first homer of the year, and that was it for the scoring until Seiya Suzuki homered in the 9th when the game was already out of reach.

A couple of “almost” situations earlier in the game, including a 343-foot opposite field drive to the warning track by Nick Madrigal (seriously? he can do that?). And the Cubs got jobbed on a missed call on this “catch” of a Dansby Swanson wall ball:

On replay, it was quite clear that the ball hit the wall, and it should’ve been something like second and third, with one out for the Cubs. Either I’m missing something, or the Cubs’ video guys and/or David Ross missed something. It was kind of a big moment, and what do you have to lose when you’re already down four? Just challenge right away anyway?

Again, not likely it would’ve matter in the final accounting, though I suppose you never know.

Another loss. Another kinda-thumping. I’m unhappy.

Full box score.

written by

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation. You can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation, on Bluesky at @Brett-Taylor, and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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