There were multiple rain delays and the Cubs lost a frustrating extra-inning game. How was your Sunday?
Oh yes, as you can imagine I have some things to say about how Sunday’s weather was handled at the ballpark, but I’m going to save that for tomorrow.
The Cubs lost to the Diamondbacks 3-2 in 11 innings, a loss that easily could have been turned into a win at several junctures. Can’t win ‘em all, you know, but…
After a delay of 39 minutes, the Cubs and D-backs got under way at 2 p.m. CT. Jameson Taillon retired the side in order in the first and then Ian Happ singled and Kyle Tucker walked to start the bottom of the inning.
Seiya Suzuki struck out and then it started raining again and the umpires ordered the field covered. That delay lasted 59 minutes. (Like I said, more on this tomorrow.)
After the delay, Michael Busch’s RBI single gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead [VIDEO].
I was honestly surprised to see Taillon back on the mound after the hour delay. But he threw four more credible innings, getting touched up for the tying run on three Arizona hits in the fourth. He threw 87 pitches and struck out six [VIDEO].
Here’s more on Taillon’s outing [VIDEO].
Merrill Kelly also came back for the D-backs and after Busch’s single, he set down 16 Cubs in a row before departing with a leg injury [VIDEO].
But the Cubs couldn’t do anything with Arizona relievers, either. From the time Kelly left through the ninth, they had just two baserunners — a leadoff walk by Busch in the secenth and a one-out single by Jon Berti in the eighth. Berti reached second on an error, but Happ flied to center and Tucker grounded to first.
Meanwhile, the Cubs bullpen was also doing a very good job. Julian Merryweather pitched around two singles in the sixth for a scoreless frame. Ethan Roberts retired the side in order in the seventh, and Porter Hodge, who had a terrifyingly bad Friday against the D-backs, got three ground outs to second on only five pitches.
Hodge probably could have gone another inning, but Craig Counsell called on Ryan Pressly to throw the ninth, and he also put together a 1-2-3 inning.
Jordan Wicks was basically the rest of the pen (Daniel Palencia, Brad Keller and Caleb Thielbar were unavailable), so he started the 10th. An error on Nico Hoerner allowed the lead run to score [VIDEO].
But Wicks got out of the rest of the inning without a run scoring, including getting help on this nice leaping grab by Nico [VIDEO].
That gave the Cubs the chance to tie or win the game in the bottom of the 10th. Dansby Swanson was the placed runner, and Hoerner singled him in [VIDEO].
Hoerner was forced at second by Pete Crow-Armstrong (after a review), but PCA stole second, so he was in scoring position with one out. But Carson Kelly flied to left and Berti flied to right, so off to the 11th the game went.
Geraldo Perdomo was the placed runner. Now, Perdomo did not make the last out in the 10th, but since the D-backs were forced to put the pitcher in the batting order when Josh Naylor took over at first base, the placed runner rule allows the previous batter (Perdomo) to be the placed runner. (You might remember this is a rule Tony La Russa forgot while he was in his second stint as White Sox manager.)
Anyway, Perdomo was singled in by Naylor and the D-backs led 3-2. Wicks got out of the inning with the help of this play at the plate [VIDEO].
The D-backs asked for a review, but it was ruled “call confirmed.”
So the Cubs had another chance to tie or win. Berti was the placed runner, but he was doubled off second base when Perdomo snagged Ian Happ’s sharp line drive. Tucker flied to center and that, as they say, was that.
Extra-inning fact from BCB’s JohnW53:
The Cubs now are 26-32 in extra innings since the automatic runner was introduced in 2020. They are 18-26 in 10 innings, 8-5 in 11 and 0-1 in 12.
They had won their only previous extended game this season, 2-1, at San Diego last Tuesday. They had lost their final two last season, after having won 6 in a row. They were 7-5 for the full year.
The Cubs still took two of three from a good Arizona team, so that’s good. Losing this winnable game was not, though, and the day wound up being very, very, very long at the ballpark. Attendance was announced as 29,062, but maybe half that many showed up on a not-very-nice Easter Sunday. Hope yours was better than the Cubs’.
The Cubs will play a pair against the Dodgers at Wrigley Field Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, and that’ll be it for seeing the Dodgers this year, unless there’s a postseason meeting, which is entirely possible. Shōta Imanaga will throw the series opener for the Cubs and Dustin May will go for L.A. Game time Tuesday is 6:40 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
Stick around BCB here Monday as we’ll have plenty to discuss on the Cubs off day, which I am sure they will enjoy after this very long Sunday. I know I will enjoy the off day myself.