Heartbreaker: Cubs fall in 13 Innings to D-backs |
PHOENIX - When things are not going your way this late in the season, it becomes a problem, and the Chicago Cubs (78-71) are finding that out firsthand right now. 10 Days ago, the Cubs had a four-game lead over the final wild card spot and were trailing the Philadelphia Phillies by just one game for the top spot. Then came the Arizona Diamondbacks (78-72) to town as they took three of four from the Cubs at Wrigley Field, which put this team in a slump at the worst time.
The Cubs followed that up by losing two of three in Colorado and have now dropped two straight at Chase Field and four straight overall as their lead in the Wild Card face has gone down to just .5 games. Saturday night could be the worst loss of them all as the Cubs led not once, not twice, but four separate times in the ball game only to be walked off in 13 innings 7-6. In a day and age where velocity is king, this was a turn-back-the-clock day in Arizona as Zach Davies and Kyle Hendricks toed the rubber for their teams. Both pitchers are known for their changeups, but they also bring the two slowest fastballs in average velocity, with Hendricks barely touching 88 MPH and Davies coming in around 89. This had a classic 1990s feel, as velocity in the 90s wasn't as prevalent as it is now. What looked to be a pitcher's duel early turned into a marathon of a game as both pitchers were charged with three runs before giving way to their respective bullpens. Davies lasted just four innings in his outing, while Hendricks battled through five to finish with 5 1/3 for the evening. The offense was at a premium in the early stages in this one as both teams struggled to put runners on base across the first three frames. Once the fourth inning rolled around, it looked like the Cubs were starting to figure Davies out as Christopher Morel led the top of the fourth off with a single. He would advance to second on an infield single from Seiya Suzuki two batters later, but no damage was done up to this point as Davies escaped with the game still tied 0-0. The same can't be said for Hendricks, who served up a one-out triple to Tommy Pham to set the Diamondbacks up while an RBI double by Christian Walker made things 1-0. On the verge of limiting the damage, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. added an RBI single with two outs as the Diamondbacks doubled their lead to 2-0 and were sitting pretty at this point. It took five innings for the Cubs offense to get rolling, but once they did, you could see the struggles of Davies start to surface. Getting a leadoff double from Yan Gomes certainly helps, as does the Nick Madrigal single, as the Cubs had runners on the corners with no outs. Following an Ian Happ walk to load the bases, the Cubs scored three runs, with Nico Hoerner picking up a walk to bring home the first run while a double play off the bat of Morel tied things up. Cody Bellinger came through later in the inning with an RBI single as he put the Cubs up 3-2 and chased Davies in the process. With the lead, it was up to Hendricks to keep it that way as he got through the fifth without any damage before starting to struggle again in the sixth. Walker was right in the middle of the action again, picking up a one-out single to get things started. That was followed by an Alek Thomas single to put two runners on base, with Gurriel Jr. making it three straight singles to tie things up 3-3. That was the end of the road for Hendricks, who was lifted for Jose Cuas as the right-hander escaped a crucial bases-loaded situation. In what was officially a battle of the bullpens in the seventh, Ryan Thompson was on the mound for the Diamondbacks as the Cubs had a golden opportunity to take the lead. Not only did an error and a walk put two runners on base, but with Bellinger getting hit by a pitch, the Cubs had the bases loaded without getting a hit, only to have them strand those runners on base. That was the last of the scoring chances in regulation for either team as Mark Leiter Jr. and Julian Merryweather came in to toss three near-perfect innings, while Paul Sewald and company took care of the Cubs and helped send the game into extras. With Andrew Saalfrank on to pitch the 10th for Arizona, it was Morel starting things off with a single as the Cubs instantly had runners on the corners with no outs. A double steal followed that, and just like that, it was a 4-3 Cubs lead. The Chicago was still threatening in their half of the 10th as they would eventually load the bases with a chance to bust things open only to come away empty. That forced the hand of David Ross to go with Marcus Stroman, who allowed a Crobin Carroll single to begin the 10th, which tied things up before retiring the next three hitters he would face. Over the next two innings, it was more of the same for both teams, with Hoerner picking up an RBI single in the top of the 11th to put the Cubs in front 5-4, only to have Gurriel Jr. come through again with a single off of Drew Smyly in the bottom of the 11th to make this a 5-5 game. After failing to score in the top of the 12th, Smyly was forced into a difficult situation as this looked to be the critical moment of the game. After walking Gabriel Montero to start the inning, Corbin ripped a hard-hit grounder to Hoerner as, he knocked it down for an infield single to save a run. However, the bases were loaded with one out as Smyly dug deep to retire the next two hitters and kept this game tied 5-5. Hoping the momentum from that inning would be on their side in the 13th, a quick single from Patrick Wisdom put runners on the corners with Happ coming to bat. Happ ripped one down the first base line, and after a delayed call by the umpire ruled it a fair ball, the Diamondbacks turned two, but were willing to concede the run as the Cubs took a 6-5 lead. The delayed call was a tough break for the Cubs, and it proved crucial late in the game as the Diamondbacks were back to bat with the game on the line. With runners on the corner and one out, Ross went back to his pen as he called upon Hayden Wesneski to finish the job. After retiring Jordan Lawlor to begin his outing, Wesneski was one strike away from finishing things off, only to have Emmanuel Rivera line one off his shoulder that bounced right in front of Swanson as the Diamondbacks drew even again 6-6. Wesneski wasn't out of the woods yet as Gabriel Moreno came to the plate with the game on the line. Once again, the Diamondbacks were down in the count as Moreno managed to line a slider off the plate to right field, setting the stage for a play at the plate. With Evan Longoria sprinting toward home, Suzuki's throw was slightly off the mark, but it beat Longoria. However, after reaching across the plate to make the tag, Gomes narrowly missed the hand of Longoria as the veteran was ruled safe to walk off the Cubs in a heartbreaking 13-inning loss. The loss may keep the Cubs in second place in the Wild Card Standings for now, but they have seen their lead dwindle to just .5 games over Cincinnati and Arizona. To make matters worse, both teams hold the tie-breaker over the Cubs, as Chicago could be on the outside looking in before too long.
