Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (8/18/24): Blue Jays 1, Cubs 0 – Offense Disappears in Shutout Loss
The Cubs’ effort to sweep the Blue Jays at Wrigley Field went absolutely nowhere Sunday. Chicago was stifled offensively and Toronto prevailed despite scoring just a single run.
Shōta Imanaga gave up that lone Jays tally on a solo homer by Joey Loperfido in the 2nd inning. The North Siders could not solve starter Bowden Francis at all, collecting only three hits in seven frames. Neither team pushed another tally across despite a few strong opportunities.
Cody Bellinger singled and stole second base in the 9th, but closer Chad Green stranded him to secure the 1-0 Blue Jays shutout. (Box score)
Key Moment
An infield hit, a bloop single, and an error loaded the bases for the Cubs with two out in the 4th inning. Francis got Dansby Swanson to strike out swinging and strand the runners.
Why the Cubs Lost
They did almost nothing with the bats, wasting a very good pitching performance.
Stats That Matter
- Imanaga had a high pitch count that forced him out of the game early, but otherwise he did well: 5 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 6 K, and 1 BB.
- Ethan Roberts made his first appearance since July and didn’t allow a run in two innings despite four runners reaching base on him.
Bottom Line
Part of the experience with the 2024 Cubs is games like Sunday where the offense completely dries up. This tendency of the lineup to vanish for stretches has completely hamstrung their ability to have sustained success that would produce a winning campaign. The fact that the pitching staff has been very good in the second half makes the hitters not pulling their weight even more frustrating. Some combination of minor league talent and outside additions is needed to try and change this going forward because the status quo is not a winning strategy.
On Deck
After an off day on Monday, the Cubs welcome old friend Javier Báez and the Tigers to Wrigley starting Tuesday at 7:05pm CT. Javier Assad gets the start for Chicago and Detroit has yet to name a starter for the contest airing on Marquee and 670 The Score.