Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (8/13/24): Guardians 2, Cubs 1 – Noel Homer the Difference in One-Run Game

After a high-scoring affair on Monday night, the Cubs and the Guardians had a pitchers’ duel at Progressive Field Tuesday. Both sides received outstanding efforts from their bullpens, but Cleveland was able to jump on the only mistake of the evening to hand Chicago another one-run defeat.

Nico Hoerner got the Cubs on the board against starter Matthew Boyd in the top of the 2nd inning by hitting a double, stealing third, and then coming home on a sacrifice fly from Dansby Swanson. Cleveland got back to even on Javier Assad in the bottom of the frame via an RBI bunt single by Brayan Rocchio.

The score remained deadlocked into the 6th inning when Monday’s hero, Jhonkensy Noel, hit a massive solo home run off Drew Smyly that put the Guardians ahead 2-1. The North Siders had some hard contact and a few runners on base but failed to come through against the best bullpen in baseball.

Surprisingly, Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt used closer Emmanuel Clase for a fourth-consecutive game. His gamble paid off as the hard-throwing righty pitched around an infield single to save the 2-1 victory. (Box score)

Key Moment

Noel fouled off three straight Smyly curveballs in the dirt before one of them caught too much of the zone and the big outfielder crushed it for the eventual game-winning home run.

Why the Cubs Lost

Getting into a battle of the bullpens with Cleveland in 2024 has not worked out well for the opposition and this game was no different.

Stats That Matter

• Assad looked better but his pitch count is still too high early: 4.2 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 2 K, and 2 BB.
• Hoerner was the only Cubs hitter to get on base twice Tuesday.

Bottom Line

The Cubs have more one-run losses (25) than every other team in baseball this season outside of the horrible White Sox. Having that many close contests means more outcomes come down to randomness and luck. Chicago has not been able to win comfortably often enough in 2024 to take the pressure off of these nail-biters and it’s probably the reason they won’t make the postseason.

On Deck

The Cubs try to avoid the sweep Wednesday night at 5:40pm CT. Jameson Taillon is on the mound against Alex Cobb in a game broadcast on Marquee and 670 The Score.