Series 23 Marlins at Cubs

    Game 1

     A Grand Slam by Duvall propelled the Marlins to victory in the series opener. The Cubs got on the board quickly when Pederson hit a solo homer to lead off the first. The trouble for Davies started in the third when the Marlins loaded the bases with one out. Davies walked in a run and then got an out to set up the deciding at-bat of the game. 2 outs and the bases loaded and Duvall blasted a changeup for a grand slam to grab a 5-1 lead in the third. Pederson homered in the bottom half of the inning to cut the lead to three but the Cubs didn't get any closer. The Marlins extended the lead as Berti hit a three-run homer in the sixth. The Marlins finished the scoring in the seventh when Duvall hit a 2 run homer to bring the score to 10-2.

    Game 2

     The Marlins jumped all over Arrieta early and cruised to another big win. The Marlins got on the board in the first after Chizzolm had an infield single and stole second to score on a ground out by Aguilar. Duvall homered to make it three as Marte reeached base on an error by Bryant. The Marlins got another in the second inning as Bertis hit a sacrifice fly to score Alfaro. Duvall blasted another 2 run homer in the third to extend the lead to 6-0. The Marlins added another in the fifth when Sanchez singled home Duvall. The Marlins continued to add in the sixth as Berti scored on a wild pitch. A Sanchez solo shot and Diaz's two-run homer in the seventh and eighth finished the scoring for the Marlins. The Cubs got their lone run on a solo homer by Heyward in the eighth as the Marlins cruised to another victory while the Cubs bats remained cold.

    Game 3

     Mills and the bullpen avoided trouble and the sweep as the Cubs got just enough to take the finale. The Marlins got baserunners in each of the first five innings but couldn't find a run as Mills escaped the trouble each time. The Cubs got the first run of the game in the third as Heyward started the inning with a walk. Alcantara and Mills failed to move him over so that left it to Pederson to get him in. Pederson hit a grounder into deep right-center and an error by Rojas got him to second and Heyward to third. Heyward scored on a passed ball and the Cubs took the lead. The Cubs got another run in the fifth as Wisdom singled to start the inning. Marisnick singled him over and Alcantara would get him in on an infield single to deep first to take a 2-0 lead. The bullpen shut down the Marlins retiring the last 12 batters of the game to seal the game.

    The good

     The Cubs avoided a sweep and are still tied for first in the division. Pederson showed his power belting two homers in the first game. The main bullpen shut down the Marlins on their way to victory as they continue to be the strength of the team. Mills pitched well and showed he can continue to contribute in the rotation as Williams and Alzolay recover.

    The bad

     The first two games were really ugly for the Cubs. Davies and Arrieta struggled and the bullpen didn't help. The bats were cold too as the only runs scored were from solo homers in the first two games. The Cubs are ice cold and are happy to be still tied for the lead in the division after a rough week.

    Looking ahead

     The Cubs have a quick two-game series against the Indians before they head out west to start a 10 game road trip that includes the Dodgers, Brewers, and Reds. The brutal June schedule seems to finally be getting to the Cubs and this upcoming road trip will be vital for the division as the Brewers and Reds are in contention.