NEWSLETTER
The vibes are not good.
For the 1,000th game in a row, the Chicago Cubs offense failed to do much of anything, wasting yet another (mostly) solid pitching performance from the entire staff. And it’s especially a shame, because today was a bullpen day and through the first 7.0 innings, the relievers were fantastic.
Ben Brown – the Ankin Law “Making it Personal” Player of the game – delivered a sharp four innings featuring 6Ks, with good velocity. He got lucky on a couple of hanging curveballs that didn’t break, but the Braves missed them and no harm was done. Hayden Wesneski gave up a solo shot, but was otherwise solid enough. And Luke Little had it all working today.
Unfortunately, Kyle Hendricks’ first appearance as a reliever didn’t go well, as he surrendered two runs in his first inning of work (he came back out for a scoreless ninth inning, but it wasn’t a success overall). Counsell could have gone to Hector Neris, Mark Leiter Jr., Porter Hodge, or Tyson Miller, but he chose Hendricks and the Braves made him pay.
But it barely matters, because once again this Cubs offense did absolutely NOTHING. It’s really quite embarrassing. They’ve faced some good pitching, no doubt, but this is getting ridiculous. Something’s gotta give.
