Busch's two homers help Cubs avoid sweep to Rockies |
DENVER—What looked like a promising road trip with the Chicago Cubs (76-73) taking two of three from the Dodgers earlier in the week turned sour quickly as the Cubs' struggles at Coors Field continued. Despite the Colorado Rockies (57-93) having one of the worst records in the league, the Cubs continue to struggle to win games in Denver and haven't won a series at Coors Field since 2016.
This one is especially frustrating for the Cubs as they not only had the lead in all three games but also scored first in all three games, only to have the bullpen blow the first two games over the weekend. In an effort to avoid that for a third time, the Cubs benefitted from a great Kyle Hendricks start and a trio of homers, including two from Busch, as the Cubs avoided the sweep 6-2. With every passing start, many fans wonder if this is the last they will see of Hendricks. Entering the final two weeks of his contract, Hendricks is the longest-tenured Cub on this roster, but is also going through the worst season of his MLB career. Every now and then, you will see him turn in a great effort, and Sunday was one of those efforts as Hendricks gave the Cubs six innings of one-run, two-hit baseball. He walked three and struck out seven before turning things over to the pen. Right-hander Cal Quantrill opposed Hendricks, and like Hendricks, he has gone through a rough season. Quantrill only lasted 2 1/3 innings in this one, but with one run and two hits allowed, his start could've been worse. He did, however, struggle with his command, walking six and striking out two, and the Cubs should've done more off him. Despite his struggle to throw strikes, Quantrill avoided some early damage as the Cubs stranded five runners in the first two innings. That included a bases-loaded situation in the first, as the Cubs offense was letting Quantrill off the hook up to that point. Once the third inning rolled around, the Cubs offense finally broke through, as they couldn't afford to waste another scoring chance. It all started with a pair of one-out walks from Cody Bellinger and Isaac Paredes as Quantrill wasn't helping himself on the mound. The Cubs eventually grabbed the lead on a Michael Busch single before a Nico Hoerner infield single mixed with an error gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead. That would be all Hendricks would need to get the job done as the lone run he allowed came in the bottom of the third, with Jacob Stallings taking him deep to make this a 2-1 game. Oddly enough, those were also the game's only runs until the seventh as both pitching staffs started to get on quite a role. Jeff Criswell played a role in that for the Rockies as he struck out six across his three-plus innings, including striking out the side in the fifth. Hendricks, on the other hand, lived dangerously throughout his outing as he worked around a bases-loaded situation in the fifth before finishing his outing off with a strong sixth. In desperate need of some late-game insurance, the Cubs had a great opportunity in the sixth with a leadoff walk from Miguel Amaya setting the offense up. Amaya was erased on a double play a few pitches later, but with Dansby Swanson picking up a single ahead of a Seiya Suzuki walk, the Cubs still had a shot, but couldn't come away with the big hit. Speaking of big hits, Busch had his share in this one, including his homer in the seventh to push the Cubs' lead to 3-1. 438 ft dinger for Michael Busch! pic.twitter.com/no0l4K0uCd That hit will go down as the game-winner. Busch was just getting started as he added his second homer of the day and third homer of the series in the ninth, pushing the Cubs' lead to 4-1. MICHAEL BUSCH IS VERY GOOD. pic.twitter.com/SZHZeuWnS6 Busch has had a great rookie season. He now has 20 homers and is approaching 70 RBIs, all while playing elite defense at first base. Michael Busch is putting up a strong rookie campaign 🔨 pic.twitter.com/3hWePUeCHI The Cubs continued to keep the pressure on in the ninth, with Hoerner delivering a double shortly after the Busch homer before coming home on another Pete Crow-Armstrong homer. He now has 10 homers on the season. Pete puts this one in the seats! pic.twitter.com/VDRYbKchIY The Cubs had a chance to break things open even more, as a trio of two-out walks loaded the bases only to come away empty. Nothing comes easy for the Cubs in Colorado and with a pair of walks mixed with a Sam Hilliard single, the Rockies threatened, as they had the bases loaded and no outs. Knowing a big hit could make things interesting, Tyson Miller entered the game to replace Keegan Thompson and immediately allowed the game's next run to score on an RBI groundout. However, that was the game's final run for either side as the Cubs avoided the sweep with a 6-2 victory. Tyson Miller picks up his 1st career save! pic.twitter.com/Pznei5vDM4 Busch had a massive game and series, for that matter, as he paced the Cubs offense with three hits and three RBIs. Ian Happ and Hoerner added two hits in the victory. Ended the road trip with a dub 🙌 "Results wise, that was one of the best I've had all year."
Busch: 3-for-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
Crow-Armstrong: HR, 2 RBI, R
Hoerner: 2B, RBI, R pic.twitter.com/4otdrjMjBb
Kyle Hendricks allowed only 1 run over 6 innings. pic.twitter.com/xdLrlCTClf
