Cubs stunned by Diamondbacks in brutal 9th inning meltdown

The three-game series between the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks already started off on a sour note for both parties, with the Diamondbacks alleging that the Cubs third base coach was relaying signs to the players — something that starting pitcher Merrill Kelly deemed to be “bush league”. On Tuesday, the Diamondbacks got revenge for the 7-0 loss they suffered in the series-opener, with the Cubs losing in particularly brutal fashion.

The Cubs entered the ninth inning with a 4-3 lead, and it looked like it was going to go smoothly for them on their way to a victory. A Tim Tawa walk was sandwiched in between lineouts from Nolan Arenado and Ildemaro Vargas, putting the Diamondbacks on their final out of the night. Pinch runner Jose Fernandez then complicated matters for both teams; Fernandez tried to steal second base, and getting caught stealing with two outs would have been a disastrous way to go for Arizona.

In the end, Fernandez was safe on second, and a replay review upheld that call. This simply set the stage for pinch-hitter Ryan Waldschmidt to play the role of the ultimate spoiler for the Cubs, as he hit a walk-off home run off of Jacob Webb to give the Diamondbacks a 5-4 victory.