Cubs at loss after pen squanders highway leads once more
MILWAUKEE — The Chicago Cubs say they’re in disbelief as losses proceed to mount on the highway, many coming in late-inning, heartbreaking style.
The newest? Saturday’s 5-Three, 10-inning loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, which dropped them right into a second-place tie with their Nationwide League Central rivals.
“I’ve by no means seen something like this,” reliever Steve Cishek stated. “I’ve no solutions. I actually do not.”
Cishek blew a 2-Zero eighth-inning lead Saturday night time. The Cubs retook the lead within the 10th inning on an Albert Almora Jr. house run. However hot-hitting Brewers Christian Yelich and Keston Hiura each went deep off Cubs nearer Craig Kimbrel within the backside of the 10th, sending Chicago to 19-31 away from Wrigley Discipline this season.
“It is disappointing,” Kimbrel stated. “We have to win video games like that. It sucks.”
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The Cubs are 1-Four on their present highway journey, and in every loss, they have been main or tied within the eighth inning or later.
It has led to some ugly moments:
• Their eight blown saves in July is tied for probably the most in baseball.
• On Saturday, they blew a number of save alternatives in the identical recreation for the second time this season. Solely the Mets have achieved that extra.
• In 542 appearances earlier than this season, Kimbrel had given up a number of house runs in the identical outing simply solely as soon as. In 12 video games as a Cub, he has achieved it twice already.
The meltdown Saturday got here after starter Jon Lester requested out after seven innings because of an sickness that led to him being scratched from a begin earlier within the week. He was pitching a gem in opposition to Milwaukee however stated he was “gassed.”
“Not too many occasions I am going as much as Joe [Maddon] or Tommy [Hottovy, pitching coach] … however tonight was considered one of them,” he stated. “Tonight was very robust. I felt like we have been in fairly good management of that recreation. That is how fast issues can flip round right here.”
Maddon went to Cishek regardless of the right-hander throwing 26 pitches over two innings in Friday’s Three-2 loss to the Brewers. He was greeted with a house run by Ben Gamel and a double by Lorenzo Cain on the subsequent pitch.
Was he gassed, too? Maddon did not suppose so.
“Cishek was able to go right this moment,” the Cubs supervisor stated.
Zero:31
Christian Yelich belts a solo house run to left-center subject to tie the sport at Three-Three.
The Cubs are 5-11 in one-run affairs away from Wrigley this season. There are a lot of questions however no solutions proper now for the disparity between their stellar 36-18 mark at house and the outcomes on the highway.
“It is robust to be on this finish,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo stated. “Looks as if when it does not go your method it pours on you at totally different occasions of the season. That is a kind of stretches. We simply must maintain preventing.
“It is unusual. It is one thing this period of Cubs baseball hasn’t skilled. It ought to even out [on the road]. To not the place we wish it. This 12 months it hasn’t, however we are able to begin writing our personal script tomorrow.”
The Cubs and Brewers are a recreation behind the first-place Cardinals within the Central. The Cubs head to St. Louis after Sunday’s collection finale. With a Four-14 highway document inside the division, the Cubs are determined for a victory.
“You see the division,” Cishek stated. “It is shut during. We simply have to think about it as a tough stretch.”