Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (3/16/23): Diamondbacks 3, Cubs 1 – Belli Bomb Not Enough
The Arizona Diamondbacks were at Sloan Park Thursday for a matchup with the Cubs on a soggy track after Phoenix experienced torrential rain the previous evening. Once again, Chicago did almost nothing on offense and dropped another game.
Drew Smyly took on fellow left-hander Madison Bumgarner and both pitched around some early jams. Bumgarner actually came out in the 2nd inning with the bases loaded and was able to re-enter in the 3rd to keep things scoreless through three innings.
The D-backs’ Caleb Roberts hit a two-run homer against Smyly to give his team the lead in the 4th inning. Cody Bellinger cut that deficit in half with a solo shot to left field in the 6th.
Bye Bye Belli! 👋 pic.twitter.com/Ul05vTFeXI
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 16, 2023
The Cubs would get no closer than that, however, and went on to lose by a score of 3-1. (Box score)
Why the Cubs Lost
Zach McAllister entered with the bases loaded and one out in the 2nd inning. Christopher Morel and Nico Hoerner were unable to drive in a run and the Cubs didn’t do much else the rest of the game to produce scoring opportunities.
Stats That Matter
- Smyly pitched pretty well other than the home run: 4.1 IP, 2 R, 3 H. 4 K, and 1 BB.
- Patrick Wisdom had two hits on Thursday as he fights for playing time at third base.
- Yan Gomes singled, drew a walk, and threw out a runner trying to steal second base.
Bottom Line
Cubs pitching continues to impress so far this spring. The bigger issue going into the regular season, much like the past several seasons, is going to be inconsistent offense. Players like Bellinger will be big in determining if they can improve over 2022.
On Deck
It’s split-squad action for the Cubs on St. Patrick’s Day as they play the Dodgers at Sloan Park and the White Sox at Camelback Ranch. Both games start at 3:05pm CT with Marquee covering the Dodgers game and NBC Sports Chicago televising the White Sox.