The Chicago Cubs entered Tuesday with a chance to secure a series win in Arizona. With Kyle Hendricks on the bump, would the offense be able to do enough to secure the win?
Tale of the Tape
Scoring did not begin until the bottom of the second inning. In the meantime, the Cubs On Tap crew was live streaming Ron's 9/9/9 challenge with a watch-along. That link can be found here.
In the bottom of the second, the Arizona Diamondbacks struck first. Potential Rookie of the Year, Blaze Alexander, grounded into a force out at second base. However, Joc Pederson scored on the play the snakes took an early lead.
The Cubs answered back. Although Miguel Amaya had a rough night defensively, he was strong with the bat. Amaya clubbed a double following an Ian Happ double to tie the game.
From there, the D-Backs took off. In the bottom of the third, a two-run home run from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and a solo shot from former Cub Joc Pederson gave Arizona a 4-1 lead. Hendricks has struggled with the home run all season long, and Tuesday was no different.
The Cubs managed to strike back in the top of the fifth. With Happ on, Amaya clubbed a triple down the third-base line to cut the deficit down to two. Then, a double from recently-promoted Alexander Canario scored Amaya in the following at-bat. Nico Hoerner's great series also continued, as he clubbed a double in the next at-bat to score Canario and the Cubs tied the game at four runs a piece.
The Cubs weren't done. With Hoerner on, Cody Bellinger came to the plate and added a triple of his own, scoring Hoerner. The insane fifth-inning rally gave the Cubs their first lead of the game.
Unfortunately, trouble struck for Kyle Hendricks to start the fifth inning, along with poor defense and wild relief pitching, allowed the D-Backs to regain the lead. In the bottom of the fifth, Hendricks loaded the bases with no outs, ending his outing. Hendricks was tagged for seven earned runs over 4.1 innings. The veteran also walked three, and the two long balls proved to be early daggers for the Cubs. Hendricks became the first Cubs pitcher ever to start the season with four starts of five-plus earned runs or more since the earned run stat became official in 1913.
Luke Little's wild pitch tied the game for the D-Backs. Although the argument could be made for Amaya getting charged with the error, it was all the same. The miscues hurt the Cubs. Another wild pitch added the sixth run, Eugenio Suarez's sac fly scored the seventh run, and Blaze Alexander's opposite-field single added the eighth run. A four-run fifth inning for Arizona gave them the lead right back.
That said, the Cubs don't quit. In the top of the seventh, with Mike Tauchman and Hoerner on, Christopher Morel knocked in a run with a sac fly. Once again, the Cubs were within striking distance. A Garrett Cooper single added another run as Hoerner scored. Then, the Cubs loaded the bases. From the right side, Ian Happ clubbed his first home run of 2024 in grand fashion. The grand slam gave the Cubs an 11-8 lead.
The Diamondbacks remained pesky. Another Alexander hit, this time a double, scored the ninth Arizona run in the bottom of the seventh. In the bottom of the eighth, the D-Backs got another one back with a Pederson sac fly. The game was too close for comfort as both teams reached double figures on the scoreboard.
The gut punch came in the bottom of the ninth. With two quick outs, Adbert Alzolay was so close to adding another save to his season total. Instead, a Ketel Marte home run clipped the top of the wall near the swimming pool in right-center field, tying the game at 11 runs each.
Finally, the ending blow came in the bottom of the tenth. After the Cubs failed to score anyone in the top of the frame, a Randal Grichuk double scored the ghost runner from second for the Diamondbacks' 12-11 walk-off win.
Sloppy, Sloppy Play
The main storyline of this game is the sloppiness. From the starting pitching with Hendricks, to the bullpen's chaos, to Amaya's lazy defense behind the dish, sloppy play cost the Cubs the win. Overall, the Cubs should have won this game, with the offense providing 11 runs on 14 hits. Instead, it turned into a one-run loss in extras. Now, instead of an easy series win before getaway day, Wednesday's rubber match becomes that much more important.
The bullpen is very much a work in progress as Craig Counsell learns which arms he can trust in certain situations. But, one thing that can change is Hendricks' rotation spot. Yes, he's a Cubs legend. Yes, he's a World Series winner. But, he cannot continue to put his offense and the team in bad spots if the Cubs are truly serious about winning. It may be time for Hendricks to move to the pen, and a youngster like Ben Brown to remain in the rotation once Jameson Taillon returns sometime this week.
What's On Tap Next?
With this "list-worthy" game in the books, the Cubs turn the page to Wednesday. The 2:40 p.m. CDT rubber match will send the Cubbies back to Chicago following the contest.
With Jordan Wicks on the bump, the Cubs go for the series win against Brandon Pfaadt and the D-Backs. Then, the Cubs return to Wrigley Field on Thursday to begin a four-game series with the Miami Marlins.
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