Cubs Drop Tough Series Against Rays

     Game 1

     The Cubs won a close battle in game one, capitalising late to earn the victory.

     Chicago continued its hot start as it scored first for the ninth time in its first ten games of the season, this time scoring in the second inning. Suzuki reached on an error to start the inning, and after one out Wisdom blasted a 420-foot bomb to left to grab a 2-0 lead.

     The Rays slowly battled back to tie the game with Lowe at the center of each of their runs. Lowe started the fourth with a single, before stealing second to get into run-scoring position. After one out, Choi singled in Lowe to get within a run.

     The Rays scored again in the fifth, this time after Lowe singled home Phillips with one out before a double play ended the inning.

     Thompson relieved Hendricks after the Rays scored the tying run and was brilliant yet again. The righty pitched three and two-thirds scoreless innings allowing only two baserunners while striking out five on the way to victory. This continued his great start to the year, tallying nine and two-thirds innings of scoreless ball while striking out ten.

     The score remained tied until the bottom of the seventh, when the Cubbies finally broke the deadlock. Suzuki started the inning getting hit by a pitch and was quickly joined on the basepaths by Villar after he drew a walk. Two quick outs that failed to advance the runners dimmed hope of a breakthrough. With two outs, Happ stepped up and delivered the key hit, a single up the middle to drive home Suzuki and give Chicago a one-run lead.

     Schwindel added an insurance run bashing a solo homer on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the eighth for a two-run advantage heading to the ninth.

     Robertson closed the door in the ninth to grab his fourth save of the year and get the Cubs two games over .500.

     Game 2

     Another tight game saw the Rays even the series with a 6-5 victory.

     Tampa Bay raced out to a four-run lead, scoring once in the second, followed by three more in the third, highlighted by Wander Franco's first homer of the season.

     The Cubs battled back in the fourth, plating three runs of their own. With one out, Happ singled to center and quickly scored on a Schwindel double to left. After another out, Ross boldly pinch-hit Wisdom for Heyward and immediately benefited as Wisdom launched a two-run home run to get Chicago within one.

     The scoring stalled until the seventh when the Rays scored two more in the top of the inning to extend the lead to three.

     The Cubs fought back once again in the the bottom of the inning. Frazier was hit by a pitch before Hoerner laced a triple to left. Hoerner scored on a wild pitch to make the deficit one.

     Chicago failed to complete the comeback, going down in order in both the eighth and ninth innings.

     Game 3

     Rain cut short a dreadful series finale for Chicago, falling 8-2 after five and a half innings.

     Stroman got rocked early, just as he got hit hard late in his last outing, as the Rays scored five runs in the first two innings, highlighted by a Meija home run in the first.

     The Cubs got on the board in the third. Villar and Happ singled followed by a Schwindel doubled that plated Villar and Happ scored on an RBI ground-out by Madrigal.

     The Rays scored three more in the fifth, bouncing Stroman from the game having allowed eight runs in four and a third innings.

     The rain got worse and before the Cubs had a chance in the bottom of the sixth the game was called with a final score of 8-2.

     The good

     Suzuki continued his great start to the season reaching base six times in ten plate appearances and Wisdom continued his power surge, blasting two home runs in the series. Schwindel collected three extra-base hits as he continues to swing the bat well this season. Keegan Thompson was brilliant in relief of a solid start by Hendricks in game one as well. I think the trade of Chavez for Newcomb could help the team as well. Newcomb has a lot of potential and hopefully, a change of scenery helps.

     The bad

     Stroman getting hit hard again is tough to see, but I believe he will turn things around soon enough. The offense was not great overall, hitting below .200 for the series. Steele getting hit hard will be one to watch as all of the top three in the rotation has had a bad start already in this young season.

     Looking ahead

     The Cubs get to stay home for a four-game set against the Pirates (5-7), who they split a two-game series with earlier in the year.

Cubs Offense Secures Split in Colorado

     Game 1

     The Cubs capitalized on enough opportunities while limiting the Rockies in a series-opening win 5-2 at Coors Field.

     The Cubbies got on the board in the first, scoring three runs as the middle of the order exploded. After one out, five straight hits secured a lead they would not give up. Madrigal, Villar, and Schwindel posted singles before an extra-base knock by Suzuki plated the third run of the inning. Hermosillo was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out, before Happ hit into an inning-ending double play that became common throughout the game.

     The two clubs traded scoreless innings after that until the fifth. The Rockies got on the board as they chased Steele from the game after allowing two runners to reach with one out. Roberts replaced him, but could not keep the shutout going. After two outs, Cron doubled home Blackmon before two walks plated another run to cut the deficit to one.

     The Cubs responded in the top of the sixth to extend the lead back to three. Schwindel lead off the inning with his first homer of the year, which was helped by the thin air of Denver. Then with one out, Gomes doubled and was singled home by Happ to cap the scoring.

     The bullpens held each other down the rest of the way, with Keegan Thompson impressing again, earning the win by pitching three and a third scoreless innings.

     Game 2

     Th Cubs dropped game two, as Stroman cruised until a brutual fourth inning collapse sealed the outcome.

     The Cubs started brightly again, plating three runs in the first three innings to build a 3-0 lead.

     With one out in the second, three singles by Villar, Heyward, and Rivas plated the first run. After another out, Ortega singled home Heyward to get a 2-0 advantage early.

     Back-to-back doubles from Madrigal and Contreras plated another tun in the third for a three-run lead.

     Stroman was cruising along until a nightmare fourth inning caught him out. After recording two outs with two men on a couple of long at-bats caught up to him as the Rockies scored five times in the frame capped by a three-run home run by Trejo.

     The Cubs got one right back as Villar hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded and one out. The Cubs failed to do more damage as Suzuki was intentionally walked with runners on second and third before Frazier flew out to end the inning.

     Cron made the gap two again, by hitting a solo homer to center in the fifth.

     The Cubs threatened in the eighth, loading the bases before Contreras struck out.

     The men-in-blue scored another run in the ninth, plating a run with a pair of doubles from Villar and Wisdom with two outs put pressure on the Rockies. Hermosillo pooped out to end the inning and the game though.

     Game 3

     The Cubs brought up Mark Leiter Jr. for the start and he got hammered in the middle innings to send the Cubs back to .500 in game three.

     Villar continued his strong series, grabbing an RBI on a single to right to get the early lead again.

     The Rockies quickly responded with four in the third, followed by three in the fourth highlighted by another Cron home run.

     After another run in the fifth, the Cubs made a rally with four of their own in the seventh. Three straight hits from Suzuki, Heyward, and Wisdom, resulted in Suzuki and Heyward scoring on Wisdom's double. Villar singled home both Wisdom and Hoerner to cut the deficit to three.

     The scoring ended when Heyward tripled home Suzuki to get the Cubs within three before falling 9-6.

     Game 4

     The Cubs finished the series strong, securing a split with the Rockies.

     Chicago continued its strong starts to games scoring the games first five runs.

     Contreras hit a solo shot in the first to start the scoring before Hoerner doubled home Hermosillo and Wisdom in the second.

     Madrigal doubled again before scoring on a Schwindel single in the third. Gomes singled with the bases loaded to plate another run to extend the lead to five.

     The Rockies made it a game in the sixth scoring three times to cut the deficit to one. McMahon capped the scoring in the inning with a two-run shot to make it 5-3.

     Suzuki homered in the seventh to extend the lead to three again.

     The Rockies got the run right back in the bottom of the inning, scoring on a sacrifice fly by Bryant.

     Wick and Robertson shut the down and guarnteed a series split in Colorado.

     The good

     The bats got going in the mile-high city including some players off to cold starts. Patrick Wisdom found his groove, lacing five doubles while batting over .450 for the series. Suzuki continued his hot start while Villar was unstoppable, batting .667 and gathering eight hits in the series. Smyly was solid in his second start and Thompson continues to show his importance out of the bullpen.

     The bad

     The lack of starters showed in the game three loss which could crush the team if they can't find a fifth option. Happ struggled in the series and Ortega continues to struggle at the plate.

     Looking ahead

     The Cubs have three against the Rays at home, before the Pirates come to town for a four game series.

Cubs Split with Feisty Pirates

     Game 1

    The Cubs won the series opener on the back of strong pitching and the bat of Seiya Suzuki.

     Suzuki launched two solo home runs, one to left and another to right-center field as runs were at a premium. The first of the long balls was to lead off the fifth. After battling Jose Quintana to a full count, Suzuki belted a fastball to right-center to open the scoring.

     The game was still hanging in the balance in the seventh when Suzuki stepped to the plate again. After an 0-1 count, Seiya blasted another fastball out of the park, this time to left field to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead.

     Chris Martin and Ethan Roberts each delivered a scoreless inning in relief, with Roberts notching his first career strikeout in the seventh.

     The Pirates got a run back when Bryan Reynolds hit a solo shot to center on the first pitch he saw from Mychel Givens in the eighth.

     The scoring would end there as the Cubs held on in the ninth. David Robertson sent the Pirates down in order, to grab his second save of the year and hand the Cubs a 3-1 record to start the season.

     The high quality pitching from the starters continued, as Smyly threw five scoreless innings. The righty only allowed three baserunners, inducing a lot of weak contacts and recording one strikeout.

     Game 2

     The second game did not go the Cubs way, falling 6-2 to split the two-game series.

     The game started brightly, as the Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, off a Wilson Contreras home run to deep center.

     The Pirates responded quickly in the bottom of the inning though. Hendricks walked Tsutsugo with one on and two outs to give the Pirates a chance. Gamel Launched a three-run homer to right that gave Pittsburgh a 3-1 lead.

     The Pirates struck again in the third. After Hayes doubled and Gamel walked, Newman hit a triple on the first pitch he saw to extend the lead to 5-1.

     The Cubs got one back in the fourth when Contreras doubled and was driven in by Suzuki.

     The Pirates finished the scoring in the fourth, plating another run off a Hayes single as he went 4-4 on the day.

     The Cubs had a chance to get back in the game in the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out, Contreras bounced into an inning-ending double play that essentially put the game away.

     The bullpens shut each other down as niether team gave much of a threat after the fifth.

     The good

     Smyly was brilliant in his Cubs debut, as the starting pitching continues its hot start. The bullpen was stellar in the two games, pitching eight and a third innings of one-run ball. Suzuki Stayed hot with the two home runs and another RBI in the second game as well. A huge positive was Contreras getting going with a double and a homer in game two as he is the heartbeat of this team.

     The bad

     Hendricks struggled in his start and his first innings woes from last year continue to haunt him. Patrick Wisdom and Rafael Ortega are struggling st the dish. Both of them hitting .111 or worse will not suffice for this team to stay successful.

     Looking ahead

     The Cubs head to Colorado to take on the Rockies in a four-game set. Hopefully, the offense outside of Suzuki, Contreras, and Happ can get some momentum in a hitter-friendly ballpark.

Cubs Start off Year Bright with Series Victory over Brewers

     Game 1

     The Cubs won the first of many back-and-forth affairs on an exciting Opening Day for the MLB. Both Brunes and Hendricks were dealing on the mound early.

     The Brewers plated the first run in the fourth after loading the bases with one out. Lorenzo Cain grounded out to first to score Andrew McCutchen, before Hendricks escaped without further damage, getting Jace Paterson on a lineout to end the inning.

     The Cubs took the lead in the bottom of the fifth, getting a long ball from an unlikely source. Seiya Suzuki and Jason Heyward started the inning with singles and set up Patrick Wisdom to tie the game with a sacrifice fly to deep left. That brought up Nico Hoerner, who belted the season's first home run on a line shot to left, giving the Cubs a 3-1 lead. This was his first home run in 324 plate appearances since Sep. 21, 2019.

     Hendricks finished the day pitching five and two-thirds solid innings giving up only one run, to go along with an impressive seven strikeouts.

     The Brewers came back to tie the game at three in the seventh. With one out and runners on first and third, Wong doubled to cut the deficit to run, before Yelich hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at three.

     The Cubbies responded in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead. Clint Frazier doubled with one out and was joined on the bases by Wilson Contreras after a hit-by-pitch. With two outs, Ian Happ delivered the big knock, blasting a doubling to deep right-center, bouncing high off the wall to score both baserunners, which gave the men in blue a two-run lead.

     The Brewers got one back in the eighth on a sac fly by Cain to cut the lead to one.

     The score would stay that way as David Robertson closed the door in the ninth to record his first save with the Cubs.

     Game 2

     The second game was a runaway win for the Cubs, blowing out Milwaukee 9-0, guaranteeing a series victory to start the season.

     Despite the blowout win, the game was marred by five hit-batsmen and the benches clearing late in the game. The Brewers hit three Cubs players, Madrigal in the first, Contreras for the fifteenth time in his career, and then Happ in the seventh. Happ had to leave the game, while the other two were both up-and-in and caused concern.

     The Cubs would hit McCutchen in the eighth, which led to the benches being cleared and some harsh words post-game by McCutcheon. McCutchen claimed the Cubs were trying to injure him, and while it seemed intentional it was not somewhere that would cause serious injury and most likely was just a bit of retaliation.

     The stars were on the mound, as Justin Steele impressed in his first outing of the year. The righty hurled five scoreless innings, while strikeout five and allowing only five runners. This start was encouraging after a solid season last year which saw him start nine games while coming out of the bullpen for another eleven, compiling a 4.26 ERA.

     Keegan Thompson took over from there, tossing two and two-thirds scoreless in relief. Thompson struck out four Brewers, with his only blemish a walk in the sixth. Thompson was brilliant last year, making 36 appearances with a 3.38 ERA mostly out of the bullpen for the Cubs.

     The Cubs were gifted three runs in the first as Brandon Woodruff struggled with his command. The first four batters reached base without taking their bats off their shoulders as Woodruff walked three and Madrigal was hit by a pitch.

     The game would not get any closer with the Cubs scoring a run in the third, followed by three more in the fourth to take a commanding 7-0 lead.

     The Cubs tacked on two more in the sixth, finishing the scoring at 9-0.

     Game 3

     Chicago could not complete the sweep falling in a nail-biter 5-4 in. the finale.

     The Cubs grabbed an early lead in the first on Suzuki's first career home run. With two on and two out, Suzuki hit a moon-shot to left-center that received a huge roar from the crowd at Wrigley.

     Marcus Stroman was great in his Cubs debut, pitching five innings of one-run ball. He struck out three while allowing only five baserunners.

     The Brewers pounced once Storman left game, collecting three runs in the top of the sixth. Yelich Doubled home Adames after he led the inning off with a walk. After an out, Tellez launched a home run to retake the lead.

     The Cubs tied the game in the bottom of the inning, capitalising on a couple miscues. Fraizer walked with two outs and advanced on an error. Two wild pitches later and the game was tied.

     The Brewers took the lead back on a solo homer by Brosseau that finished the scoring.

     The good

     The starting pitching was strong with all three pitchers allowing one run or less in five or more innings. Suzuki also impressed, with three hits and four walks in 12 plate appearances. Suzuki had a team-high six RBI including a three-run homer in game three. Ian Happ was the other standout on offense, collecting a team-leading five hits in only seven at-bats including two doubles in the series.

     The bad

     There was not much bad in the opening series. The bullpen depth looks to be a problem and could be costly for the team, but it is still really early to worry about that.

     Looking ahead

     The Cubs have a quick two-game series in Pittsburgh, followed by a four-game set against the Rockies. Getting both games against the Pirates would be huge along with a series victory in Colorado to keep the momentum from a great season-opening series win against the Brewers.

Cubs Season Preview

    After an offseason full of bargaining and questions marks, Opening day is almost upon us.

    An exodus of well-known and well-loved Cubbies at last years trade deadline sets the team with a lot of new faces. Gone are the likes of Baez, Rizzo, and Bryant. Longtime veterans Kyle Hendricks and Wilson Contreras are joined by exciting newcomers Seiya Suzuki and Nick Madrigal, among others. 2022 should be a fun time of getting to know some new faces and speculating who will be the face of the franchise as the Cubs try to compete along with building for a better tomorrow.

    Starting with the offense, the Cubs have a lot of solid players, but none who stand out as a sure All-Star. Suzuki was the big signing and will be the starter in right field while flashing potential to be Rookie of the Year after crossing the sea from Japan. Madrigal will be a fun player to watch, as he starts his Cubs career after being shipped here from the White Sox. He may not have much thump in his bat, but he will get on base and put the ball in play, which will be a nice change of pace. The rest of the infield feels strong and deep, with Patrick Wisdom and Frank Schwindel patrolling the corners. Nico Hoerner will start at shortstop until Andrelton Simmons comes back from an injury, and Jonathon Villar will be a solid utility man. The outfield does not seem to be as strong or deep though. Suzuki looks to be the best of the bunch with Ian Happ and Jason Heyward manning the other two starting spots. Michael Hermosillo, Clint Frazier, and Rafael Ortega will be the backups and see spot duty when called upon. Having Wilson Contreras behind the dish is a luxury, and makes the lineup more dangerous. Yan Gomes will be a servicable backup behind the plate, while DH seems to be a revolving door based on matchups.

    On the pitching end, The Cubs have a familiar face in Kyle Hendricks as the Opening Day starter. Marcus Stroman was another huge signing for the Cubs and will be a solid second option for the Cubs as Wade Miley, Drew Smyly, and Justin Steele fill out the rotation. The back-end guys all have their warts but present upside and will hope to provide solid innings this season. The bullpen has been hurt by injuries to start the year and has a lot of unproven talent. David Robertson, Mychal Givens, and Jesse Chavez look to be the leaders, and while solid, they leave something to be desired.

    The Cubs have injuries to some players who would have been role players. David Bote had shown to be a solid utility man in the past couple of years, providing some pop and timely hitting. Adbert Alzolay had an up-and-down first full season in the league last year. He was projected to be the fifth starter and his arm will be missed as depth in the rotation. Codi Heuer was brilliant after being picked up for the White Sox and will be missed in the bullpen along with Brad Wieck who is also on the 60-day IL.

    Overall, this team looks a bit better than expected and could surprise some by fighting for a wild card in the expanded playoff. Outfield and bullpen depth look to be weaknesses, while the infield depth looks to be a strength. All in all, it's baseball season, and that in and of itself, is a beautiful thing.