Coming to this game I was ready for the Cubs to drop this maybe, but not at all based on what was actually played.
If you had told me, for example, the Cubs would bounce Jack Flaherty before the second inning was over, I would feel pretty good, because he was the main reason I expected it to be tough today. As it turned out, however, the Cubs did no significant damage against Flaherty, and it was really more about what would have been a very short trip for him.
Moreover, Alec Mills came out with absolutely nothing. The command was not there, he was uncharacteristically wild, and the cardinals just hampered him. It was fun right out of the gate, and even when the Cubs almost immediately got into the Cardinals’ ballpoint pen, they were far behind the eight ball.
… not to mention that they did not have enough chances to get back in the game. Twice, the Cubs let the bases charge without damage, which has been such a bizarre offensive problem this year.
Also, Ian Happ’s leadoff home team was the only hit of the team until Josh Phegley booked it with a homer with two outs in the final frame. Rough game. Try again in about an hour.
Full box score.
