Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (7/19/21): Cardinals 8, Cubs 3 – Cubs Collapse Under Weight of Errors

The Cubs arrived in St. Louis Monday for a series that, while having little impact on the actual standings in 2021, is still one of baseball’s great rivalries. The Cardinals got the upper hand in this one thanks to very sloppy Chicago defense, especially in a disastrous 4th inning.

Alec Mills was good early on, holding the Cardinals to just an RBI single from Dylan Carlson in the 3rd inning. The real issue was the 4th, when a series of Cubs errors led to four unearned runs. Chicago would score on an Ian Happ double play in the next frame to cut the lead to 5-1, but that was as close as they would get.

Keegan Thompson allowed back-to-back homers to Carlson and Paul Goldschmidt in the 6th to really put the game out of hand. The Cubs added a couple more runs, the most exciting of which came on a Patrick Wisdom solo home run. In the end, though, it was a real laugher for St. Louis. (Box score)

Why the Cubs Lost

Committing three errors in the 4th put the Cubs in a hole they could never escape. The offense again failed to produce anything until the game was well out of hand.

Key Moment

While Javy Báez’s two miscues would also hurt, Wisdom’s throwing error to start the 4th inning was the really big moment of this game. Mills was cruising along in pretty good shape before that seemed to throw him off his rhythm.

Stats That Matter

• Mills really did deserve a better outcome: 4 IP, 5 R, 1 ER, 5 H, 5 K, and 2 BB.
• Wisdom had three hits, with two singles in addition to his homer.
• Rafael Ortega had two more singles Monday and might be earning himself some more playing time.

Bottom Line

It can be hard to focus with all the doom and gloom currently surrounding this Cubs team. With rumors of trades and rebuilding everywhere, meltdowns like the one we saw Monday might be more the norm going ahead.

On Deck

Game two of the series is Tuesday at 7:15pm CT. Trevor Williams takes on a yet-to-be-named St. Louis starter in a game televised on Marquee with a radio feed available on 670 The Score.