Cardinals 11, Cubs 3: The error of their ways

If only the Cubs had remembered how to play defense in the first inning of their 11-3 loss to the Cardinals, maybe this game might have been closer, or come out differently.

I’ll get to that. Hard to believe, but the Cubs actually had the lead in this game. Nico Hoerner led off with a walk, but Michael Busch hit into a double play.

That was too bad, because Seiya Suzuki followed with a home run [VIDEO].

If one or more runners had been on ahead of Seiya… but they weren’t. Oh, incidentally, that ball was crushed! [VIDEO]

Then the Cubs put on a clinic in the bottom of the first on how to not play defense. The first three Cardinals all singled, producing a run. That’s on Hayden Wesneski, and a number of us have remarked previously that sometimes Wesneski thinks too much, gets too bogged down when he’s in trouble, and this might have been one of those games. The Marquee broadcast team even mentioned this.

So here’s what happened after the three singles, which made the game 1-1 and put runners on first and second.

Wesneski got Lars Nootbaar to hit a comebacker. Then he thought too much! [VIDEO]

Wesneski tried for a double play, and, as noted on Marquee, he probably should have just got the easy out at first. At that point there would have been one out and runners on second and third and it’s still 1-1.

Instead, he threw the ball into center field. A run scored to make it 2-1, there’s still nobody out, and runners are on first and second.

Then Wesneski got another ground ball, this one to Miles Mastrobuoni, who’s been pretty good in the field lately. Not this time, Mastrobuoni double-clutched and everyone’s safe. That was ruled a fielder’s choice, I think I would have called it an error on Mastrobuoni’s bobble. Still nobody out, that should have been the second out.

Wesneski got another ground ball from Brendan Donovan and… oh, no, Hayden, just let Nico take this! [VIDEO].

A run scored to make it 3-1, the bases are still loaded, and there’s still nobody out. There should be at least two out, and maybe the inning should be over with the score only 2-1.

Wesneski struck out the next two hitters, but then he hit Michael Siani to force in a run to make it 4-1, a single made it 6-1 and Alec Burleson, who had hit one of the three singles to start the inning, smashed a three-run homer and yikes, it’s 9-1 and some people probably haven’t even gotten to their seats yet.

It’s really simple. You just can’t give a MLB team six outs in an inning, bad things are going to happen. And I am convinced part of this is Wesneski thinking too much instead of just going out there and trusting his stuff. Again, Jim Deshaies touched on this during the broadcast.

The game’s basically over at this point, let’s look at some not-so-fun facts from BCB’s JohnW53:

The last time the Cubs gave up at least 9 runs in an inning was Aug. 13, 2021, when they surrendered 11 in the second at Miami, turning a 4-1 lead into a 12-4 deficit. They lost, 14-10.

They gave up 10 in the eighth inning of a 14-4 loss at Milwaukee on June 28, 2021. Score had been 4-4.

The last time they gave up exactly nine was the second inning at home vs. the Reds on Aug. 17, 2017. Game had been scoreless. The Cubs lost, 13-10.

Today’s game was the Cubs’ 1,009th since then.

The Cubs did make an attempt to get back into the game relatively early. After Wesneski gave up another run in the second, the Cubs put together a little rally in the fourth. Ian Happ singled leading off the inning and and Christopher Morel doubled him to third.

One out later, a sac fly by Mastrobuoni made it 10-2 [VIDEO].

After that, Pete Crow-Armstrong walked and, well, get another couple baserunners and maybe… but Tomás Nido flied out to end the inning.

That was pretty much it. Give Wesneski credit, he gutted out four innings on a hot, humid afternoon and of the 11 runs charged to him, only four were earned (and if the two fielder’s choices had been called errors, which they kind of were, that would have been TWO earned runs). Ethan Roberts came in and ate up a pair of innings without allowing a run and Hunter Bigge made up for his poor showing Friday with a 1-2-3 seventh with a pair of strikeouts, both on fastballs at 99. Both of these pitchers are likely headed back to Triple-A Iowa soon when others come off the injured list, but both have talent.

Roberts did combine with Michael Busch for this nice defensive play in the sixth [VIDEO].

Entertainement: David Bote entered to throw the eighth inning, to save the rest of the bullpen for the nightcap. He threw a competent inning! After a fly ball for the first out, he allowed a double and issued a walk, though it sure looks like ball four to Willson Contreras was a strike, plate umpire Mike Muchlinski:

After that, Bote got a deep fly ball to center caught by PCA and a ground ball force play at second, so like his Cubs position player teammate Patrick Wisdom, Bote has a 0.00 ERA for this season.

Speaking of Wisdom, he smashed a solo homer in the ninth [VIDEO].

Look at it this way. The Cubs didn’t figure to sweep this pair, so just figure this was the doubleheader game the Cubs were fated to lose, and they can make up for that by winning the nightcap. Although, as noted in this screencap from the Cubs’ other doubleheader this year, back in April against the Marlins, as of that date it was a tossup as to a doubleheader splitting or being swept over the last 25 years:

Marquee Sports Network

So let’s hope this one splits.

In the nightcap, Javier Assad will start for the Cubs and Kyle Gibson will go for St. Louis. Game time comes up in just a few hours, at 7:15 p.m. CT, and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network. The BCB preview for Game 2 will post at 5:30 p.m. CT.