CI Recap (5/6/18) – Cubs 3, Cardinals 4: Cardinals Walk-Off for Second Straight Game on Fowler’s Homer

After two 30-minute rain delays, the Cubs and Cardinals went all the way into the 14th inning before the contest was resolved. Jon Lester pitched ok, walking four and striking out four in 5.1 innings of work. The bullpen held the Cardinals in check up until the 14th inning, but this game is on the offense. It was not able to do much outside of Kris Bryant’s and Javy Baez’s solo home runs (box score).

Why the Cubs Lost

The Cubs offense was, yet again, rather lackluster. They could not take advantage of runners in scoring position, and did not work deep counts on a consistent basis. The offense hit a fair amount of ground balls tonight, while also not hitting very many balls hard in the air. It is not fun to watch the boys in blue at the plate right now.

Key Moment

Luke Ferrell threw a fastball down and in to Dexter Fowler with two outs, two strikes, and a man on first, and Fowler promptly deposited the fastball over the right field wall. The ball was just barely over both the wall and Jason Heyward’s glove.

Stats that Matter

• The Cubs went 0-9 with runners in scoring position.
• The Cubs have not hit a homer with a man on base for 14 straight games.
• This was the third straight appearance that Luke Ferrell allowed a home run.
• Cubs pitching walked Paul DeJong a whopping three times tonight, and many of the balls were not competitive. That’s quite noteworthy for somebody who was only walking 6% of the time before the series started.

Bottom Line

The offense has shown no signs of life, and the Cubs got swept by a team they dominated last year. That being said, it is still early in the year and the Cubs are bound to turn it around sometime soon. They are too good not to.

On Deck

Tomorrow, the Cubs head back to Wrigley as Kyle Hendricks squares off against Jarlin Garcia and the Miami Marlins. First pitch will be made promptly at 7:05 CT and the game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Chicago.