Game Recap: Mariners power past Cubs

Matt

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 5 hours ago

CHICAGO - At some point, you knew the weather would warm up at Wrigley Field, and when that happens, the wind tends to blow out. You are starting to see that throughout this homestand, and for a Chicago Cubs (45-30) team that has been struggling offensively, any offensive assistance is a welcome sight, especially when considering the string of starting pitchers they have faced.

The problem is that the Cubs aren't the only team benefiting from warm temperatures, as their pitching has seen their opposition start to produce runs at a much higher level, leading to some disappointing losses as of late. Friday was a prime example of that, as the Seattle Mariners (38-36) connected for a quartet of homers, two from MLB Leader Cal Raleigh, as they dropped the Cubs 6-4 to open this weekend's set.

With Matthew Boyd facing off against George Kirby to kick things off, you had a sense that runs could be at a premium, especially when you look at how Boyd has pitched this season. For the most part, that was the case for the Cubs left-hander as Boyd allowed two runs across five innings while striking out six.

He threw less than 80 pitches, so seeing him come out after only five innings raised some question marks, especially after snaring a comebacker to end the fifth. As has been the case for many starting pitchers this season, Boyd was victimized by the rise of Raleigh, whose first-inning homer not only gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead but also extended his MLB lead with his 28th homer of the season.

Fortunately for Boyd, the Cubs' offense was up to the task, and Ian Happ didn't waste any time tying things up as he touched up Kirby for his eighth career leadoff homer to bring things back to even 1-1. That was only the start of a big inning for the Cubs as Kyle Tucker followed that up with a single before a Seiya Suzuki double put a pair of runners in scoring position and no outs.

Kirby came close to escaping the inning without any further damage, only to have Michael Busch come through with one of his three hits as his single brought home a pair to put the Cubs in front 3-1. It was a lead the Cubs would hold until the fourth as Boyd started to settle in on the mound and at one point retired seven straight batters and eight of nine as the Mariners finally had a runner in scoring position in the fourth.

That happened to be Raleigh, who not only walked but managed to steal second before coming home on a two-out single from Donovan Solano that pulled the Mariners within 3-2. As mentioned, when the weather warms up, the ball starts to fly and the Cubs continued to rely on the long ball in their half of the fifth as Reese McGuire worked an impressive nine-pitch at bat against Kirby before connecting for his third homer of the season to push the Cubs lead to 4-2.

It was the final run the Cubs would score in this one, but given how well their bullpen has pitched, you had to like the Cubs' chances as Ryan Pressly took over in the sixth. Pressly has been on quite a run as of late, allowing just an unearned run in his last 16 innings. As is the case with everything, all good things must come to an end, and after retiring the first two hitters he faced, Randy Arozarena picked up one of the Mariners' nine two-out hits as his double extended the inning.

A few pitches later, it was Mitch Garver connecting for his first of two homers in the game, and just like that, the Mariners pulled even at 4-4. The Garver and Raleigh combination took over from there as they combined for eight of the Mariners' nine runs, including four combined homers between the two.

Not only did Pressly struggle in his outing, but Caleb Thielbar allowed his first earned runs in over a month as Raleigh touched him up for his second homer of the day to put the Mariners in front for good, 6-4. The Mariners continued to make the Cubs' bullpen pay later in the game as the rough homestand for Genesis Cabrera continued in the ninth.

Cabrera has had a rough go of things at Wrigley this week, as he allowed at least a run in both games he pitched in against the Brewers, including what would go down as the game-winning three-run shot on Thursday. Faced with a similar situation on Friday, Cabrera retired the first two hitters he faced before a pair of singles from Raleigh and Arozarena kept the inning alive.

That set the stage for Garver, who put the game away with his second homer to open up a 9-4 lead as Cabrera has been charged with seven earned runs in his three innings of work this week. Had Garver not hit that homer, the Mariners would have closed things out anyway as the Cubs went down in order in the ninth, including their second straight game-ending double play.

The loss handed the Cubs their second straight home loss, marking just the second time this season they have suffered consecutive home losses, and the first time since dropping a pair of home games on May 6 and May 7. Seattle had 13 hits in the victory, 12 of which came with two outs, an impressive feat in itself.

Busch paced the Cubs offense with three hits and two RBIs as his terrific June continues.

Chicago will look to even things up on Saturday when they turn to their young stud Cade Horton as he opposes Emmerson Hancock.