The Chicago Cubs dropped their series finale against the San Diego Padres by a score of 8-7. After securing a series win yesterday, the Cubs were unable to hold on to a late lead and gave away the final game to the talented Padres.
The first inning was one of the most chaotic, sloppy, and downright egregious displays of baseball you will ever see.
An insane first inning
Cubs pitcher Ben Brown would kick off the madness with a near 40-pitch inning, which resulted in three Padre runners crossing home plate. He had terrible control issues and was unable to locate anything consistently. He would hit Jake Cronenworth with the bases loaded, allow a single, and then walk in another run.
As if that wasn’t insane enough, Padres’ starter Kyle Hart would top it off with an even worse performance. Hart would only register two otus, while giving up two hits, four walks and and five earned runs. He seemed affected by the Wrigley crowd and the chilly weather in Chicago. He gave way to reliever Logan Gillaspie, who would awkwardly balk in two cubs hitters to score. The Cubs not only overcame the early hole that Ben Brown put them in but also came storming back to lead by two after the first frame.
After the first inning, the Cubs’ bats would stay hot. Kyle Tucker would hit his first home run at Wrigley Field to add a couple more runs for the Cubs in the second inning. Tucker has been sensational this season and everything the Cubs could have hoped for. He would end the day with two hits and a walk.
After a rough first two innings, the Padres’ bullpen would shut the door on the Cubs for the rest of the game. The Cubs would be held scoreless for the final seven innings of this game.
The Padres bounced back
The Padres’ bullpen has been a real strength for San Diego this season. They more than pulled their weight in this one to salvage a game in which their starter didn’t complete a full inning.
The Padres’ offense would continue to fight in this game. This was aided by stud sophomore phenom Jackson Merril, who homered and drove in three runs. The freshly extended center fielder would go two for five, with a walk.
This game reached its apex of craziness in the ninth inning when Cubs closer Ryan Pressly attempted to shut the door on San Diego. After putting a couple of Padres on base, he looked to have induced an inning-ending double-play with no runs surrendered. Instead, Justin Turner was unable to handle the throw from Nico Hoerner, and the bobble allowed Fernando Tatis Jr. to score from third.
Padres closer Jason Adam would silence the top of the Cubs lineup and send the Padres home with their first victory of the series.
The Cubs could have easily swept one of the best teams in baseball. But a bad start from Ben Brown and a shaky bullpen negated that possibility.
The Cubs will begin a three-game series with the Texas Rangers tomorrow. Justin Steele will get the ball tomorrow for the Cubs against the Rangers’ Nathan Eovaldi.