In front of a national audience, Chicago Cubs second baseman Zack McKinstry had the game of his career, but it was not enough to propel his team past the San Francisco Giants.
Leading off the first inning, McKinstry singled, but Rafael Ortega grounded into a double play the very next at-bat. Those moments were emblematic of the Cubs' night.
Through five innings, Chicago starter Wade Miley dueled with the San Francisco bullpen. Starting 32-year-old right-hander John Brebbia, the Giants opted for an opener and and reliever strategy. For a team with as mediocre a bullpen as San Francisco the gamble somewhat shockingly paid off.
The Cubs were held scoreless through four innings, despite threatening in the third, while the Giants were kept off the board through three. In the fourth, San Francisco broke through. A J.D. David double coupled with a two-out single from Thairo Estrada gave the Giants a 1-0 lead.
An inning later, the Cubs matched them with a double and a single of their own, the extra base-hit coming from McKinstry.
Not wishing to further tax Wade Miley coming off an injury, manager David Ross lifted his starter after 75 pitches for the shining rookie Hayden Wesneski.
Unable to re-create his magic from Tuesday night, he allowed a seventh inning homer to Estrada before Wilmer Flores crushed an eighth inning two-run bomb, extending the Giant lead to 4-1.
Yet the Cubs were not to be silenced. Seiya Suzuki homered of Scott Alexander in the bottom of the eighth, tightening the score to 4-2. Following him, Franmil Reyes and Christopher reached base with two out for Nelson Velázquez. But Chicago's eighth inning hopes ended with a ground out to Evan Longoria.
With the eccentric arm of Camilo Doval in to silence the Cubs in the bottom of the ninth, hope bubbled in Chicago when the Giants' closer hit lead-off man Yan Gomes. Perhaps Sunday night would be a wild one for the 25-year-old reliever.
It was not to be. David Bote then grounded into a double play turned 6-4-3 that all but ended the Cubs' night. Following Bote, McKinstry came to the plate looking to single-handedly lift the Cubs over the Giants on his lonesome. A triple brought the winning run to the plate in Patrick Wisdom, who promptly grounded out to end the ballgame.
The Cubs travel to New York Monday for a series with the formidable Mets atop the NL East. Facing Chris Bassitt, Chicago will send Javier Assad to the hill at 6:10 p.m. CST.
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