The Chicago Cubs have been a staple of “Sunday Night Baseball” telecasts for years, thanks partly to a star-studded lineup, a nationwide following and the photogenic ballpark they name residence.
Wrigley Field appears to be like nearly as good as ever, and followers nonetheless end up in droves if the climate is sweet and the beer is chilly.
But Sunday night time’s ESPN recreation towards the Los Angeles Dodgers may very well be one of many Cubs’ closing appearances in 2022 the way in which their season is trending.
There are solely so some ways to speak about Wrigley earlier than admitting the plain: The Cubs aren’t prepared for prime time.
The Dodgers swept the Cubs by scores of 7-0 and 6-2 in a cut up doubleheader Saturday, leaving them with 4 straight losses and 13 of their final 16 video games.
Clayton Kershaw dominated the Cubs with seven shutout innings within the opener earlier than the Dodgers received the nightcap with solely three hits, together with Mookie Betts’ bases-clearing double within the second off Keegan Thompson and his two-run homer off David Robertson within the ninth.
Cubs pitchers issued 9 walks within the nightcap, together with 5 by starter Daniel Norris and Thompson through the Dodgers’ four-run second. The Cubs fell to eight video games underneath .500 at 9-17.
They have a .341 successful proportion (42-81) since June 14, 2021, choosing up the place they left off final season.
After a time off Thursday and Friday’s postponement, the solar lastly got here out at Wrigley on a cold Saturday afternoon, so it wasn’t a complete loss for the introduced crowd of 37,594 — aided by a big contingent of Dodgers followers.
Even Dodger-hating Cubs followers ought to have been glad for the chance to look at the 34-year-old Kershaw, a future Hall of Famer, defy his age with one other dominant efficiency.
“At some point you feel like the ball will bounce our way or some of those balls will fall in,” mentioned supervisor David Ross, who pointed to a number of hard-hit balls off the Dodgers veteran.
Perhaps, however Kershaw scattered 5 hits over seven shutout innings to enhance to 4-0. He has a 1.00 ERA over his final three begins and is one in all solely three starters this season with 30 or extra strikeouts and three or fewer walks.
Hitting apart, baserunning gaffes by the Cubs additionally had been on show early within the opener.
“Making outs on the bases, we can’t do that when you’re facing a good pitcher like that,” Ross mentioned.
After Kershaw picked Seiya Suzuki off first base to finish the primary inning, Nico Hoerner was tagged out chugging into second base to finish the second. After reaching on an infield hit, Hoerner apparently believed the errant throw went right into a digital camera properly and bounced again, entitling him to a free base. Ross mentioned Hoerner ought to’ve waited for the umpire to make the decision.
“Just one of those tough lessons,” Ross mentioned.
Drew Smyly lasted 4⅓ innings within the opener, permitting two earned runs on six hits and 4 walks in his return from the bereavement checklist. Command points within the first put the Cubs in a fast gap, and his solely different mistake was a fourth-inning residence run by Austin Barnes.
Ross mentioned Smyly threw “extremely well,” however Smyly conceded he “wasn’t very sharp today … and threw a ton of pitches” within the first.
“That’s probably the worst team to face when you’re not being aggressive in the zone and attacking,” Smyly mentioned. “They don’t really chase.”
Ross acknowledged earlier than the sport that Cubs starters collectively haven’t pitched to their potential, however he nonetheless believes they will develop into “a solid pitching staff if we continue on the trajectory we’re on.”
But the Cubs now not can use the excuse of a brief spring coaching to clarify their 5.16 ERA coming into the day or the dearth of high quality begins. Cubs starters have lasted 5 or extra innings in solely 9 of the primary 26 video games after Norris went 1⅓ innings because the “opener” within the nightcap. The solely starters who’ve thrown greater than 5 innings are Marcus Stroman (twice) and Kyle Hendricks (thrice).
Justin Steele, who compiled a 9.35 ERA over his final three begins and didn’t final greater than three innings in any of them, was pushed again to Monday night time’s recreation in San Diego. The Cubs have solely 4 starters on the roster, although Ross mentioned the Steele transfer “was a product of how our roster is shaped.”
Wade Miley mentioned he would throw a bullpen session Sunday after pitching 4 scoreless innings Thursday in a rehab begin for Triple-A Iowa. Miley may very well be prepared to affix the crew on the upcoming journey to San Diego and Arizona.
It received’t save the season. But at this level, the Cubs can use all the assistance they will get.
“It takes a lot to win a game,” Smyly mentioned. “They’re never easy.”
And it’s more durable than ever for the Cubs.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com