Heartbreaking news: Cubs are blown away by a very sad message about the team…
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73480549/2163506007.0.jpg)
When the story of the 2024 Cubs season is written, “underachieving’ should be a main part of the headline.
Because I still believe this team is better than its record. Obviously, the record is what it is. Part of it is this, from BCB’s JohnW53:
The blown lead today was the Cubs’ 49th of the season, in 38 different games. They are 14-24 in those games. Through June 5, they were 11-11.
That’s just bad.
This is actually good: In the six games of the just-completed homestand, the Cubs allowed the Diamondbacks and Brewers just 14 runs, 2.33 runs per game. Most baseball teams would do quite well with pitching like that.
Not these Cubs, who scored just nine runs in the six games and thus lost four of the six, the last a dispiriting 3-2 defeat to the Brewers Wednesday afternoon at the ol’ ballyard.
Let’s look at what happened, if you can stand it.
Justin Steele had a rough first inning, issuing a couple of walks and the Cubs basically gave the Brewers five outs when Steele couldn’t handle a comebacker and Mike Tauchman dropped an admittedly difficult chance in center field that he had in his glove, only to see it bounce out.
The Brewers, though, managed just one run in that inning, so the Cubs escaped what could have pretty easily been a crooked number.
Then Steele settled down. From the strikeout of Eric Haase that ended the first, through a two-out single in the fourth, Steele retired nine Brewers in a row, then ended the fourth on a popup.
Meanwhile, the Cubs took the lead in the third on this one-out homer by Suzuki,
The Cubs bullpen has been pretty good lately. That should give the home team a good chance to win, right?
Not this Cubs team. The offense has simply vanished. In the last four innings, six through nine, the Cubs had two baserunners, a two-out walk by Christopher Morel in the sixth and a two-out single by Miles Mastrobuoni in the seventh. Mastrobuoni stole second and went to third on a throwing error, but was stranded when Nico Hoerner grounded out.
That was the last sign of any Cubs offense in this game. If you’ve seen the offense around, please let Craig Counsell know. He’s been looking for it.
Porter Hodge threw a scoreless seventh.
Mark Leiter Jr. then threw a 1-2-3 eighth on only eight pitches. Maybe Counsell should have left Leiter in to throw the ninth, because Hector Neris went back to being Bad Hector in this one. A leadoff single was followed one out later by an RBI double by William Contreras to give Milwaukee a 3-2 lead.
That lead might as well have been 30-2, given the Cubs’ total lack of offense. They went down meekly 1-2-3 in the ninth to Joel Payamps, who isn’t even the Brewers’ main closer. Morel and Dansby Swanson struck out, Swanson looking particularly bad doing it, and Tauchman flied to right to end it.
I don’t even know what to say anymore. This team feels like it should be better, but it’s not. It’s just not. Some sorts of trades will likely come by the 5 p.m. CT deadline next Tuesday, July 30, and of course we’ll cover them here. In the meantime, just keep in mind “underachievers.” That’s the epitaph for the 2024 Chicago Cubs. That’s how I’ll remember them, anyway.
After an off day Thursday, the Cubs will travel to Kansas City for a three-game series against the surprising Royals, who are in contention for an AL wild-card spot. Kyle Hendricks will throw the series opener against Royals righthander Brady Singer Friday evening. Game time is 7:10 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
