Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (4/15/22): Rockies 6, Cubs 4 – Stroman Hits Rough Patch in Loss

Marcus Stroman went from mostly dominant to absolutely melting down and, while the offense had its opportunities, the Cubs logged a loss to a Rockies team that continues to overachieve early in the season.

With Chicago leading 3-0 heading into the bottom of the 4th inning, Stroman got himself into trouble immediately as he allowed a single to Kris Bryant to lead it off. The righty bounced back to strike out C.J. Cron but then allowed a double to Ryan McMahon. Throughout these at-bats, Stroman was noticeably fidgeting on the mound and appeared to be a bit uncomfortable.

Things were looking up when he got Elias Diaz to pop out, then the wheels fell off. Sam Hilliard hit a two-run double to make the score 3-2 Cubs and then a Garrett Hampson walk and an Alan Trejo home run made it 5-3 Rockies.

The Cubs threatened to come back several times, including in the 5th when Jonathan Villar hit a bases-loaded sac fly, but they couldn’t tack any on despite loading the bases back up. Then in the 8th, they loaded the bases again and couldn’t score a run.

In the 9th inning, the Cubs managed to close the gap to 6-5 thanks to Patrick Wisdom‘s second double of the game that drove in a run. After Wisdom managed to get 90 feet away from scoring the winning run after a wild pitch, Michael Hermosillo popped up to end the game. (Box score)

Why the Cubs Lost

The Rockies scored five runs in the 4th inning and the Cubs missed several opportunities to come all the way back in the late innings.

Key Moment

While there were several moments that could be pointed at as “key,” the biggest moment was likely in the 8th when Wisdom hit his first double of the game and was followed by Hermosillo getting a walk. Nico Hoerner then hit a 3-2 pitch right to the shortstop for a double play. The rally wasn’t quite over, as Rafael Ortega and Nick Madrigal both drew walks.

However, Contreras ended the threat by watching three pitches go by without taking the bat off his shoulder to strike out looking.

Stats That Matter

• Stroman lasted just four innings, allowing six hits, a walk, and five earned run in his second start as a Cub.
• Contreras went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored and is now hitting .389 on the season.
• Villar continues to stay red hot in Colorado as he went 2-for-3 with a double, a sac fly, two runs scored, and an RBI.
• Wisdom went 2-for-2 with two doubles and an RBI after coming in as a pinch hitter in the 5th inning. He had just one hit this season entering the game.
• Scott Effross pitched 1.2 clean innings with just a Kris Bryant infield single to blemish the outing. That’s the first baserunner the sidewinder has allowed in three appearances.

Bottom Line

This is going to be one of those games that the Cubs could have won quite easily with just a little bit more luck and a few more balls in the air instead of on the ground. The Cubs lead the majors in groundball percentage (52.9%) and they’re going to need to elevate a bit more, especially in Colorado, to win games moving forward.

On Deck

Game three of the four-game series against the Rockies features Mark Leiter Jr. making his first major league start since 2018 and facing Antonio Senzatela, who is getting his first start of the season for Colorado. First pitch is a bit earlier at 7:10pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.