Cubs swept out of Anaheim as struggles continue |
LOS ANGELES - It is starting to look like a lost season for the Chicago Cubs (26-36), which is disappointing when you think about it. Given by far their most talented roster in the last couple of seasons, this team has not only struggled to win games, but now it seems like the team has given up and has no fight left in them. You could also make the case that last season's team was better than this season's team, and that is tough to believe.
Already with a series loss against the Los Angeles Angels (34-30), the Cubs were hoping to get out of Los Angeles with at least one win to give them some momentum before they kick things off with San Francisco this weekend. Instead, it was more of the same for this club as they wasted another great start from Drew Smyly and were held to just five hits as the Angels completed the sweep of the Cubs 3-1. For Smyly, he has been not only one of the surprises in the rotation this season but one of the more consistent pitchers in the National League despite owning a 5-4 record. Any time you have a 3.52 ERA, you are doing something right, and after going six innings and allowing three runs with two of them earned his run of strong starts continued. The problem for him was a struggling offense that couldn't seem to get anything going, even against a young pitcher that hadn't won a game yet this season. Reid Detmers entered the game with an 0-5 record and an ERA near five, as things have been a struggle for him this season. Leave it to the Cubs to make him look like a Cy Young candidate as the left-hander carved the Cubs up through 5 2/3, allowing one run and striking out eight before handing things over to the pen. Both pitchers came out the gates strong and held their opposition scoreless in the first, although Smyly had a tougher time after allowing a leadoff double by Taylor Ward and walking a batter later in the inning. Once the second inning rolled around, it was the Cubs getting their offense going, which was a common theme during this series. Chicago scored first in all three games against the Angels, which makes this sweep all that more frustrating. With two outs in the second, Miguel Amaya kept the inning alive as he continued to see the ball well with a single. The next batter was Trey Mancini, who came through with his second RBI double in as many games and put the Cubs in front 1-0. That run would be the only one they would score in the game, as things were a struggle. Playing from behind again, the Angels didn't panic and used a leadoff homer from Jo Adell to pull even in the bottom of the second. For Adell, that was not only his first homer of the season, but at 451 feet, he got every bit of that baseball. That homer was followed by a pair of singles from Luis Rengifo and Chad Wallach as the Angels had Smyly on the ropes before the Ward sacrifice fly gave the Angels the lead of 2-1 and proved to be the winning run in the game. From there, Smyly was pretty dialed in on the mound despite not having his best stuff as he continued to pitch out of trouble to keep the Angels off the board. Stuck in the midst of one of the worst-hitting road trips in recent memory, Seiya Suzuki started to show signs of life in this one as he picked up a one-out double in the fourth to set the Cubs offense up, only to be left stranded on the bases. That continued to be the case in the sixth when Ian Happ and Suzuki picked up singles only to have the offense stall again. It is becoming comical how bad this team is with runners in scoring position, and at this point, you have no answers for the struggles. It has plagued this team since 2019 and is painful to watch. Still trailing by a run in the sixth, Smyly returned to the mound and continued to give the Cubs a terrific effort. On the verge of getting through another scoreless inning, Zach Neto kept things alive with a single before a walk by Ward put a pair of runners on. That was the first sign of fatigue for Smyly in the game, and after Yan Gomes uncorked a throwing error on a double steal attempt, the Angels were gifted their third and final run and took a 3-1 lead into the seventh with the bullpens coming on. Despite Julian Merryweather and Adbert Alzolay tossing two scoreless frames, which was good to see, the Angels bullpen did the same as the Cubs left Angels Stadium without a win and are now 10 games under .500 for the season. Although they are in the second-worst division in baseball, the Cubs are starting to play their way out of the race and have fallen behind the surging White Sox as the worst team in Chicago. Suzuki led the offense with two hits.
