Contreras returns in villian role in win over Cubs |
CHICAGO - It is starting to become a broken record for the Chicago Cubs (17-18), and that has lasted for five years and is growing more frustrating by the minute. Get strong starting pitching, put guys on base, and seemingly come up empty in every clutch-hitting situation.
That was once again on center stage Monday night at Wrigley Field when the Cubs welcomed the St. Louis Cardinals (12-24) to town. Sporting one of the worst records in the National League and coming off an eight-game losing streak that ended on Sunday, Marcus Stroman took the ball and faced off against Miles Mikolas. Despite the success that Mikolas has had against the Cubs in recent seasons, you had to like Chicago's chances as Stroman delivered another gem on the mound. The right continues to show why he is the ACE of the staff, or at the very worst, a top-two arm, as he gave the Cubs six innings of two-run ball as his ERA stands at 2.28 for the season. Stroman walked one, struck out six, and allowed two runs on four hits. That makes seven quality starts for him this season, tops in the majors. Great outing or not, the Cub's bats went quiet yet again, even after chasing Mikolas in the fifth due to a high pitch count. Mikolas was solid during his outing, allowing one run on four hits with seven strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings before being chased. With a golden opportunity to put the game away in the fifth, the Cubs bats came up empty, and that was the last of their legitimate scoring chances as the Cardinals came into town and took game one 3-1. Anytime you are getting paid ace money like Stroman, you will be expected to pitch like an Ace. Stroman has certainly done that this season but has been rewarded with some of the MLB's worst-run support. That is why wins and losses are one of the most meaningless stats when it comes to starting pitching, as it doesn't tell the whole story. Even with Stroman sporting the highest walk rate of his career, he has countered that by also posting the highest strikeout rate of his career. Monday was a glimpse of the old Stroman, who was dominant from the start. The same can be said about Mikolas, but he did take a bit to settle in, with Ian Happ and Cody Bellinger picking up first-inning singles before the inning ended. Following a perfect first inning from Stroman, the right-hander ran into some second-inning trouble, with Willson Contreras returning to Wrigley and leading off the second with a single. Willson Contreras is embracing the boos in his first game back at Wrigley pic.twitter.com/TsKhHZ35Wz
A Brendan Donovan single followed that, and just like that, the Cards were in business. Two batters later saw Dylan Carlson cash in the Cardinal's third hit of the inning as they took an early 1-0 lead. From there, it was 11 consecutive hitters retired by Stroman as he had the Cardinals shaking their heads all night. Playing from behind has been an issue for the Cubs over the past few weeks, but they have done a great job battling back. Despite wasting another chance in the second when Matt Mervis drew a walk ahead of the Patrick Wisdom single, the Cubs offense wouldn't back down as they kept the pressure on Mikolas. Credit them for working a high pitch count, as that finally paid off in the fifth inning. With walks to Tucker Barnhardt and Wisdom to begin the fifth, the Cubs saw something they didn't want to see. With one out in the inning, Dansby Swanson lined one into left field to tie things up 1-1 and moved Hoerner to third on the play. Hoerner was then removed from the game for what the team is calling left hamstring tightness as the fans now await the full diagnosis of his injury. Dansby doin' work. @LieutenantDans7 pic.twitter.com/V67EA1fJYn A walk to Happ followed that double to load the bases with one out, but as usual, the Cubs couldn't cash in as Bellinger grounded into an inning-ending double play. Not only did that prove costly at the time, but that was the last run of the game for Chicago as they only generated one hit against a struggling Cardinals pen. Looking to keep his mojo going into the sixth, Stroman walked Lars Nootbaar to begin the frame only to retire the next two hitters. On the verge of getting out of the inning, it was Contreras embracing the villain card a bit more and ripping the game-winning RBI double to put the Cardinals in front 2-1 in what would become a game of the bullpens in the seventh. Willson Contreras is at it again pic.twitter.com/MOpaGKZNFD
Despite their struggles, the Cardinals have some flame throwers in the pen, as the Cubs had to go through Genesis Cabrera, Jordan Hicks, and Ryan Helsley. Despite their command issues, which you saw in the sixth, all three of them can hit triple digits, which the Cubs couldn't do anything with. Throw in another sloppy inning from Michael Fulmer, which led to an RBI fielder's choice from Contreras, and it was too much for the Cubs to overcome as they fell to the Red Birds 3-1. On a positive note, the Cubs did make a long overdue roster move on Monday as International League Player of the Month Christopher Morel was called up. Morel has been on a tear all season and has been the best hitter in the minors, where he posted a .336 average, 11 homers, and 29 RBIs. He takes the place of Nelson Velazquez, who may return to Chicago depending on the severity of Hoerner's hamstring.
Contreras on how he felt making his return to Chicago and playing against the Cubs for the first time with the #STLCards: "I was trying to enjoy every second. I was just having fun."
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) May 9, 2023
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