Cubs embarrassed by Giants in series finale |
SAN FRANCISCO - When you think the Chicago Cubs (28-37) are about to turn the corner, you have a game like Sunday at Oracle Park that leaves the fans scratching their head. The Cubs have been a mystery this season as they have struggled since the end of April and haven't been able to get on a nice winning streak since.
Even after taking their first two games against the San Francisco Giants (33-32) and having things look like they were trending upward, you have a game like Sunday, which is why this team is in their position. With Hayden Wesneski on the mound and looking to make a case to remain in the starting rotation, things got out of hand early as the Giants hammered the Cubs 13-3 to avoid the sweep. Unlike last season when Wesneski burst onto the scene and dominated people, things have been a struggle for Wesneski this season as his ERA stands at 5.33. The right-hander walked one and struck out four, but he also allowed five runs in three innings before being removed from the game. “I don’t hit guys very often, and I’ve done it the last few outings,” Wesneski said after the game. “I’m a little off, but I’d say more mentally than physically. I just get in my own way.” The Cubs bullpen was pretty much the same, as Michael Fulmer was the lone reliever not to allow a run. Brandon Hughes and Javier Assad allowed three runs, with Jeremiah Estrada allowing two in a long day. With the Cubs pitching struggling throughout, it made life easier for the Giants, who went with an opener for the second straight game. John Brebbia worked the first inning before a slew of arms took their chances on the mound and combined to allow one unearned run and three runs total. Despite Mike Tauchman leading the game off with a double and Christopher Morel adding a walk, the Cubs came away empty, which came back to haunt them in the bottom of the first. Not only did the Giants strike fast, but they struck early also and grabbed a two-run lead in the first. Two batters into the game and the Giants led 2-0, with Thairo Estrada getting hit by a pitch to start things off, followed by a Joc Pederson homer. Wesneski managed to limit the damage after that, but he already put his team in an early hole and left it up to a struggling offense to try and battle back. Yan Gomes did his part by leading off the second with a single while a one-out walk put a pair of runners on base. Two batters later saw Tauchman pull the Cubs within 2-1 as he reached via an error. That shouldn't come as a surprise when considering the Giants are the worst defensive team in the league. The Cubs continued to battle back in the third inning, with Morel and Dansby Swanson picking up singles while the Gomes fielder's choice made things 2-2. That was as close as the Cubs would get, as it was all Giants from that point forward. Casey Schmitt led the bottom of the third off with a double while Pederson connected for his second two-run homer in as many at-bats to put the Giants on top for good 4-2. Pederson single-handedly drove in more runs than the Cubs scored, which is a problem when you struggle to win games. "I backed myself into a corner in both at-bats, down 1-0," Wesneski said. "He’s a streaky hitter. I know he’s a good hitter. I’ve seen him play when I was in college and watching him growing up. In the second at-bat, I needed to pitch him more careful and figure out, ‘Hey, this is what Joc is looking for today,’ and try to figure out the game that way.” After Wesneski allowed a leadoff single to Wilmer Flores to begin the fourth, followed by a walk, it was time for David Ross to pull the plug as he called on Michael Fulmer to get out of the jam. For the most part, Fulmer did a phenomenal job but did allow an RBI single to Blake Sabol, which was charged to Wesneski, making things 5-2. One inning later, the Giant's offense continued to tee off on the struggling Cubs pen, with Hughes being the victim this time. Unlike last season where Hughes was one of the better relievers on the team, this season has been a struggle as his ERA is north of 7.00. Some point to his nagging knee issue as the reason why, but at some point, the excuses have to go out of the window, and you have to admit you are not pitching well. Hughes allowed a leadoff single to Pederson, followed by a JD Davis double, as the Giants had a pair of runners in scoring position with no outs. Michael Conforto kept the line moving with the third straight hit as his single pushed the lead to 7-2. Sabol capped off the massive inning with his second RBI hit of the day, with the Giants leading 8-2. For the Cubs to come back, they needed offense in a hurry, and perhaps a leadoff error allowing Matt Mervis to reach would do the trick. That error was followed by a one-out Nick Madrigal single and another error as the Cubs loaded the bases. Needing a hit to make things interesting, Nico Hoerner managed to drive in a run via a fielder's choice, but the Cubs wasted a great opportunity and still trailed 8-3. That was it for their offense as the Cubs continued to struggle to bring people home. With the Cubs getting a run back in the top half of the sixth, Estrada took it upon himself to get that run back with a leadoff homer to begin the bottom of the sixth. Flores added to that lead with a sacrifice fly later in the inning before the Giants closed out the scoring with three more runs in the seventh on Estrada's second homer to roll past the Cubs 13-3. Hoerner led the offense with two hits while also driving in one. Five other players recorded at least one hit in the loss as the Cubs ended their 10-game trip with a 4-6 overall record. “I thought we salvaged it well here at the back end, two out of three,” Ross said during his postgame press conference. “When we play good defense and get good pitching, we’re in games. There’s not a lot of margin for error. Pretty ugly performance pitching today, and we left a lot of guys on base. “It’s just got to get better, but I love the way the guys responded after getting swept in Anaheim.” The Cubs will get a much-needed day off on Monday before opening up a six-game homestand.
