The Cubs entered this weekend’s tussle with the Detroit Tigers having won seven straight series. That’s, you know, pretty darn good.

The Tigers, entering this series with the best record in baseball, posed a unique challenge with their excellent pitching and defense.

The teams split the first two games, putting all the onus on Sunday afternoon’s clash at Comerica Park.

Cade Horton and Jack Flaherty squared off in this one, and the Tigers emerged victorious.

The Cubs’ (40-25) bats never got going, resulting in a 4-0 road loss to Detroit (43-24).

Let’s discuss what we learned from Sunday’s result.

Bats go (shockingly) silent

The Cubs score a ton. Nobody tallied more runs per game entering Sunday, with a stacked lineup capable of offensive explosions. That sure didn’t happen on Sunday. The Cubs just didn’t have it, stymied over and over again against a talented Tigers pitching staff.

The Cubs had a few scoring opportunities but squandered them, going 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. They also had 12 strikeouts, with every starter earning a “K” at least once. That’s atypical of this lineup, and this output should be considered an aberration of the highest order. Hard hits were rare on this day, and barreled baseballs generally landed in a Tigers glove.

You can’t win if you don’t score, so the lack of offense cast the die on this rare occurrence when the Cubs bats went silent.

Hoerner’s (shockingly) quick hook

Nico Hoerner doesn’t strike out much. The Cubs’ second baseman doesn’t chase, proof positive that he’s a master of his strike zone. He knows what a strike looks like, which is why he was befuddled at a called third strike in the fifth inning of Sunday’s game that was low and inside.

While his C-Flap prevented us from seeing what Hoerner said, home-plate umpire Derek Thomas didn’t like it. He gave Hoerner a super-quick hook, ejecting him within seconds of calling him out looking. It was a surprise ejection for a typically even-keeled play.

Manager Craig Counsell took issue with the ejection, which sure seemed like an error in judgment. Counsell was ejected for the first time this season shortly after a heated exchange with Thomas, leaving the Cubs without their highest-average hitter and their top decision maker. It was surely a point of frustration for a heavy-hitting team that struggled to score runs and had reason to feel like they were getting treated unfairly.

(Not) up to the challenge

Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a rocket line-drive single to right field in the fourth inning. Third base coach Quintin Berry decided to send Ian Happ home from second base despite the fact Kerry Carpenter was charging hard and ready to let it fly. The ball arrived well before Happ, but the tag may not have.

Happ was called out anyway, adding a second out to an inning where Flaherty looked vulnerable. The Cubs challenged the play – it sure looked like he was safe – but the call was sustained. The decision to send Happ was debatable, especially because Flaherty was able to work out of a jam and keep a Tigers lead established in the first inning. That was a big deal in a game where runs were at a premium and marked a second time this series, where a questionable base-running decision cost the Cubs.

Horton’s troubling trend

Despite the Cubs winning his previous five appearances, Cade Horton struggled out of the gate once again. He has given up six earned runs in the opening frame over five starts, giving up two runs in the first inning today.

It’s an issue for the Cubs’ younger pitchers, and Horton’s no exception. Horton allowed two runs in the first inning on Sunday, which put the Cubs in an early hole. Horton got touched up again in the fifth, giving up a two-run single to Riley Greene. The four earned runs were the highest total of the rookie’s major league tenure, which is a positive overall. Horton’s outing wasn’t all bad, though, as he generated a career-high 17 whiffs and six strikeouts to just two walks over 85 pitches. That’s often good enough to earn a win with the Cubs’ offense and the current state of its bullpen, but not on this day. That led to Horton’s first big-league loss.