D-backs top Cubs on Steele's off night |
PHOENIX - It has been a while since Chicago Cubs (78-70) Ace Justin Steele has lost a game, let alone had a clunker of a game. Well, all good things must end, and his string of success ended against the Arizona Diamondbacks (77-72) at Chase Field on Friday. Holding on to the second wild-card spot, but with several teams chasing them, the Cubs entered this weekend's series against the Diamondbacks with a chance to either gain ground in the standings or potentially lose their grasp on the final spot.
For whatever reason, the Diamondbacks have had the Cubs number this season, and it isn't even close. That was the case again on Friday as Brandon Pfaadt and company held the Cubs scoreless until the ninth as the Diamondbacks took down the Cubs 6-4. For Steele, this was his first loss since the early part of June after winning nine consecutive decisions on the mound. Sure, the left-hander gave the Cubs six innings, but he allowed six runs on seven hits as the long ball was an issue for him. Pfaadt, on the other hand, was very good as he was in Chicago last weekend. Pfaadt gave the Diamondbacks 5 2/3 shutout innings with six strikeouts to earn his second win of the season. Going back to last weekend, Pfaadt allowed just two runs in 11 2/3 innings against the Cubs as their late-season struggles continue. All of the Diamondback's damage came in two innings, as a pair of three-run frames was too much for the Cubs to overcome. The first of those innings came in the first as Arizona grabbed the lead and would never look back. A leadoff single from Ketel Marte got things started, but the two-out walk to Christian Walker was the key at-bat in the inning. That plate appearance extended the inning, and one batter later, it was Lourdes Gurriel taking Steele deep for the rare homer as the Diamondbacks opened up an early 3-0 lead. That would be the last of the runs for a while as the Cubs offense continued to scuffle. Following a leadoff single by Mike Tauchman to open the game, the Cubs offense was extremely quiet early as they put one runner on base in four of the five innings, but had nothing to show for it. The same could be said about the Diamondbacks, as they had some opportunities early against Steele, but apart from the first inning, he was able to wiggle out of trouble like he has done all season. With the score still sitting at 3-0 in the sixth, Steele started to run into trouble again as the top half of the Diamondbacks order gave him trouble again. Walker was right in the middle of that again as his leadoff walk helped set the Diamondbacks offense up in a great spot. Following a pair of strikeouts, Steele was on the verge of working around that walk only to see Gabriel Montero single to keep the inning alive. One batter later, and it was Alek Thomas delivering the massive blow as he took Steele deep for another three-run shot to open up a 6-0 lead. Steele would finish the sixth inning, but the damage was done as that homer proved to be the game-winner in this one. Despite facing a massive deficit, the Diamondbacks bullpen has struggled at times this season, so the Cubs had the confidence that they could climb back into it. However, after a scoreless seventh and eighth inning by Ryan Thompson and Kevin Ginkel, Chicago was down to their final at-bats, trailing by six on the scoreboard. Although most of their night was frustrating for the fans, a positive development happened in this game as Marcus Stroman returned to the mound for the first time in nearly two months. Expected to pitch out of the pen the rest of the way, Stroman was outstanding in his two innings, allowing one hit while walking one and striking out three. The Cubs are hoping he can play a role in their playoff push, but considering the way they are playing now, a playoff push isn't looking good. Down to their final three outs and facing Kyle Nelson, the Cubs knew they had a ton of work to do, but would only give up once the last out. It may have taken nine innings for the offense to get going, but they started showing signs of life as Ian Happ opened up the top half of the ninth with a solo shot to end the shutout. 18th home run this season for Happ! pic.twitter.com/8nAAq9xNID Cody Bellinger followed that homer with a walk to put a runner on base and would come around to score on the Seiya Suzuki homer two batters later as the Cubs pulled within 6-3. Seiya Suzuki - Chicago Cubs (18) That forced the Diamondbacks to go to their closer Paul Sewald, who also served up a homer, with Christopher Morel taking him deep for the third homer in the inning as the Cubs pulled within 6-4. Christopher Morel - Chicago Cubs (23) Sewald managed to recover nicely as the Morel homer was the final run of the day for the Cubs in their 6-4 loss. The loss puts the Cubs 5.5 games behind the Brewers in the Central, as their chances of getting a division title may be out the door. What is more important is the wild card race, and that is where the fans are getting worried. After holding a four-game lead over the third wild card team a week ago, the Cubs have seen their fall to just 1.5 games with both the Reds and Diamondbacks hot on their tails. To make matters worse, they are now just two games ahead of the Marlins, who are on the outside looking in as the Cubs need to get things turned around in a hurry. The Cubs had seven hits in the loss, with Morel leading the way with two. The Cubs will turn to Kyle Hendricks on Saturday to even up the series as he will face off against former Cub Zach Davies.
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