Cubs dominated at home for first shutout of 2023 |
CHICAGO - The inconsistency of this Chicago Cubs (22-28) team is starting to wear thin on the fans, as this is a much better team than their record indicates. Facing off with the Cincinnati Reds (22-29) to continue their Homestand at Wrigley Field, the Cubs lack of consistency did them in again as the Reds are starting to close the gap on the Cubs in the standings.
Of all the pitchers on the Cubs staff, Justin Steele has been one of the few you can count on as he was given the ball to open their series against the Reds. Not nearly as dominant in April as he was in May, Steele struggled from the start against this Reds offense as they jumped him early and often. The result was one of his worst starts of the season as the Reds came into town and defeated the Cubs 9-0 for the Cubs first shutout loss of 2023. Steele failed to get into the fifth inning for the first time all season, and when that happens, you know you are having a bad day. In 3 2/3, Steele was hit hard as he allowed 10 hits and gave up six runs, with five of those runs earned. Steele didn't walk a batter and struck out four as his ERA ballooned to 2.77. Not only did he struggle on the mound, but the Cubs had to take on the flame-throwing Hunter Greene, who was looking for his first win of 2023. Greene has always had the stuff to be one of the game's best starters, but has had a hard time getting through a team's lineup three times. The command has sometimes been an issue for him, but when he is on, like on Friday, you can see why he has the potential he does. Greene set the tone right from the start and gave the Reds six incredible innings with 11 punchouts. Greene only walked two hitters during that time and didn't allow a run or a hit as this was one of his best, if not the best, start of his young career. One way to get to Steele is by jumping on him early, which the Reds did in this one. A one-out single from Matt McClain got the offense rolling as he raced around the bases to score on a Spencer Steer triple to put the Reds in front 1-0. Little did anyone know, that was the only run the Reds would need, but they were not going to stop there as Tyler Stephenson doubled the lead with an RBI single and put the Cubs in an early 2-0 hole. Had it not been for a Mike Tauchman walk in the first inning, the Cubs offense wouldn't have had a single base runner through three innings, as Greene handled them right from the start. Just when it looked like Steele was starting to settle in, the Reds had answered, with Stephenson delivering a two-out double in the third and scoring on the Nick Senzel single to make it 3-0. The offensive barrage continued into the fourth when Steele had his worst inning of the day and put the Cubs in an even bigger hole. A leadoff double from Kevin Newman certainly didn't help, as he came home on a Jose Barrero single. Barrero would advance to second on a throw and, following a sacrifice bunt, came home to score on a Johnathan India sacrifice fly to put the Reds in front 5-0. Two-out hits from Steer and Stephenson kept the line moving as the Reds pushed across three more runs, and Steele was finished for the game. After Tauchman in the first, Greene would walk Ian Happ in the second as those were the only baserunners he would allow in what was otherwise a perfect day for him on the mound. With Julian Merryweather the new pitcher for the Cubs, the Reds attacked him early with Stuart Fairchild and Newman starting the fifth off with doubles as the Newman double made things 7-0. Merryweather would recover and keep Newman on the bases as he was very good during his relief appearance. Following Merryweather, it was time for Javier Assad to try his luck, and he found himself in a world of trouble early. McClain led off the sixth with a single and would advance to third on a Steer double as the Reds had a pair of runners in scoring position and no outs. That is when Assad buckled down as he kept the Reds off the board using a strikeout and an inning-ending double play to try and grab some momentum for his team. Assad continued to pitch into trouble in the seventh by allowing the first two men to reach again, but just like in the sixth, he didn't allow a run to score as he was the best pitcher on the afternoon for the Cubs. With Greene finally out of the game to begin the seventh, the hope was for the Cubs to mount a rally, but after a 1,2,3 seventh inning, they were still without a hit and only two innings left to go. It took eight innings for the Cubs to grab their first hit, with Christopher Morel leading off the eighth with a single and putting a baserunner on for the first time since the fourth. Two batters later saw Miles Mastrobuoni grab a single of his own as the Cubs had two runners on for the first time and were threatening to score. Unfortunately for the Cubs, Eduardo Salazar would not let that happen as he pitched out of the mini jam with the shutout intact and sent the game to the ninth inning. With Assad and the Cubs pen doing a great job, David Ross chose to stick with Assad one more inning, but this team, he wasn't as lucky. A one-out walk to Fairchild gave the Reds another baserunner before Barrero moved him to third with a two-out double. The big hit in that inning came from Curt Casali, whose RBI single ended the scoring drought for the Reds and saw them extend the lead to 9-0 with the Cubs down to their final at-bats. The Cubs then went down in order in the ninth inning as another frustrating offensive day saw this team fall to 2-2 on their homestand and are now just .5 games ahead of the Reds for last place in the division. Chicago will look to even up the series on Saturday as they send the struggling Jameson Taillon to the mound in search of his first win.
