Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (6/21/21): Cleveland 4, Cubs 0 – Báez Benched in Shutout Loss

The Cubs entered this one hoping the return of Adbert Alzolay to Wrigley would give them a boost Monday night against Cleveland. Unfortunately, the offensive struggles continued and Chicago dropped another frustrating shutout loss.

Alzolay was sharp early but made one mistake in the 2nd inning that Bobby Bradley deposited in the left field bleachers for a solo homer. Josh Naylor took care of the rest of Cleveland’s scoring when he mashed a long two-run jack in the 5th.

The home team could do nothing against starter Aaron Civale, who kept the Cubs bats silent before leaving with a finger injury. The bullpen was just as strong and kept the score that 3-0 throughout the game.

Cleveland would add one more run on a wild pitch in the 8th inning, but the damage was done by that point. The Cubs went quietly, dropping the 4-0 loss. (Box score)

Why the Cubs Lost

Another game, another contest in which the Cubs failed to score any runs. Not very easy to win many games when you lay goose eggs.

Key Moment 

With one out in the 4th, Anthony Rizzo flew out to left field with Javy Báez on first base. Bàez forgot how many outs there were and ran to third, leading to him easily being doubled off. Manager David Ross benched Javy after the frame, it  presumably for his mental mistake.

Stats That Matter

• Alzolay was solid but the home run ball remains an issue: 4.2 IP, 3 R, 3 H, 5 K, and 1 BB.
• Willson Contreras doubled twice and walked and was the best performer at the plate.

Bottom Line

The Cubs are a mess right now and nothing seems to be going right, especially on the offensive end. Maybe this incident with Báez can be sort of a team-wide wake up call. If not, things might be going downhill the next couple weeks.

On Deck

Chicago looks to earn a split in the series Tuesday night at 7:05pm CT. Kyle Hendricks takes on Eli Morgan in a game airing on Marquee and 670 The Score.