Cubs takeaways: What we learned in self-inflicted loss to Cardinals
ST. LOUIS — The Cubs are in a bit of a funk.
Their 8-7 loss on Tuesday to the rival St. Louis Cardinals ties their longest losing streak of the season (three games). Dropping division games isn’t ideal.
But outfielder Ian Happ insisted Tuesday on 670 The Score that there was no panic from the team. They’ll have another shot to prove it Wednesday as they try to climb out of their worst stretch of the season.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
PCA’s defensive gaffe
Pete Crow-Armstrong has saved the Cubs many times with his defense this season.
Tuesday a nonchalant moment in the field cost the Cubs a run – and the game.
With one out and a runner on second in the fourth inning, Alec Burleson hit a 102.9 mph fly ball to center field. Crow-Armstrong tracked it and made the catch against the wall before casually turning around and trotting toward the infield, assuming it was the third out of the frame.
By the time he realized it was only the second out and threw the ball back to the infield, speedy shortstop Masyn Winn was sprinting around third and scoring to make it a three-run game.
It was a rare miscue from one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball. If he hurries that ball in, Jameson Taillon’s strikeout of Willson Contreras strands Winn 90 feet from scoring and keeps the Cubs a bloop and a blast away from tying it.
Instead, it dug them a deeper hole to climb out of. If that run is stranded, the Cubs tie it a pair of innings later.
The Cubs have been so good this season at winning on the margins. A massive mental gaffe like that simply can’t happen in crucial divisional games.
Nico’s first
Nico Hoerner has been so good with runners in scoring position this season, hitting .397 in those situations with a .918 OPS.
Tuesday, Hoerner crushed his first home run of the year, a 364-foot blast to left field. They were the first two runs that he’s driven in where a runner wasn’t in scoring position.
Hoerner has never been a slugger. He has 29 career home runs in 622 games across parts of seven seasons, but he was one of two qualified hitters – Miami’s Xavier Edwards is the other – who had yet to homer this season.
Of course, the Cubs are more than OK with that because he provides a ton of value to them in other areas. His Gold-Glove-caliber defense coupled with his prowess with runners in scoring position have played a part in helping him accumulate a 1.6 fWAR entering Tuesday, tied for the third-best mark on the team.
That home run was a welcome sight for the Cubs, though.
Another rough outing
Jameson Taillon has been such an important piece for the Cubs since Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga have gone down with injuries.
But for the second straight outing, the right-hander didn’t make it past the fourth and was doomed by the long ball. Taillon allowed eight runs on eight hits and three home runs with a pair of walks and three strikeouts.
He’s allowed 13 runs and five home runs in his last two outings after posting a 2.99 ERA in his previous 13 starts.
Home runs continue to be an issue for Taillon. He’s allowed 21 homers this season, the second-most in baseball.
It’s not time to hit the panic button on Taillon, by any means, but another rough outing by him, especially as the Cubs’ rotation struggles to keep them in games, is tough. The Cubs need to get Taillon back on track.
