Tough day at the ballpark as Cubs swept by Cardinals in doubleheader
Seiya Suzuki’s 433-foot solo blast 10 pitches into Game 1 Saturday had the Cubs feeling confident in extending their MLB-best winning streak.
Half an inning later, the sentiment had taken a 180-degree turn.
The Cardinals plated 9 runs off Hayden Wesneski in the bottom of the 1st, sent 12 hitters to the plate and capitalized on a pair of Cub errors to run away in an 11-3 victory in the matinee of Saturday’s doubleheader at Busch Stadium.
In Game 2, the Cubs were holding a tight 4-3 lead going into the bottom of the 8th before Nolan Arenado grounded a 2-run single up the middle off rookie reliever Porter Hodge. And just like that, the Cubs were swept out of the doubleheader in St. Louis with a 5-4 defeat in Game 2.
Defensive miscues plagued the Cubs in Game 1, with 2 errors in the 1st inning.
[WATCH: Counsell discusses the 1st inning of Game 1]
The defense was stellar in the nightcap, as Miles Mastrobuoni had a pair of strong plays to save runs in the 1st inning. Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ each tallied an outfield assist in Game 2 while Michael Busch had a nice play late in the game at first base as well.
While Game 1 was out of hand early, it looked to be going down the same path in Game 2 as the Cardinals hit 2 homers off Javier Assad, who had just returned from the IL. Mastrobuoni’s defense helped keep the Cardinals off the board any further and the Cubs offense flipped the script in the top of the 2nd.
With 2 outs, the Chicago lineup tallied 4 runs – coming on a 2-run homer by Miguel Amaya and RBI singles from Nico Hoerner and Suzuki.
But that was it for the offense, as they failed to cash in on other opportunities later in the game.
In the 4th inning, the Cubs had runners at first and third base with nobody out and the heart of the order coming up. But Suzuki struck out and after a Happ walk, Christopher Morel grounded into an inning-ending double play.
The Cubs had 12 hits and 3 walks in Game 2 but left 10 runners on base and went just 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
The Cubs are now 46-51 after dropping both games of the doubleheader. They entered Saturday as the hottest team in baseball, riding a 5-game winning streak.
Jameson Taillon will take the ball Sunday afternoon in the final game before the All-Star Break as the Cubs look to salvage a series split with the Cardinals.