Cubs' latest loss reeks of bad baseball
Much of the talk about the Cubs has centered on big-picture stuff, such as when they're going to bring up “the kids.”
The answer is “not any time soon,” but that's an item for another story.
Sunday's dreadful-looking 4-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds actually gave us some baseball to dissect, even though much of that baseball was bad baseball. The two teams combined for 5 errors and 25 men left on base.
For the record, the Cubs fell to 4-12 as they've lost all five series they've played.
We did get some insights into the team, and for one of the few times so far, there were strategy questions — or second-guesses — for Cubs manager Dale Sveum.
In the fifth inning, the Cubs rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game and get starting pitcher Randy Wells off the hook in his first big-league start this season.
An RBI single by first baseman Bryan LaHair tied the game. LaHair has been the team's second-best hitter behind Starlin Castro, with a solid line of .361/.455/.639.
But Sveum opted to double-switch LaHair out of the game after the fifth, bringing Rodrigo Lopez in to pitch and leaving pinch hitter Joe Mather in at first base in place of LaHair.
The move raised eyebrows because, in a tight game, the Cubs might have needed LaHair's bat late.
But Lopez couldn't work deeply, as he lasted just one-third of an inning in the top of the sixth, when catcher Geovany Soto made a pair of throwing errors on bunt plays, and the Reds retook the lead for good.
We'll let Sveum take it from here.
“We were hoping he was going to get through the bottom of the order with the pitcher coming up and a couple of right-handed hitters,” Sveum said of Lopez. “A couple bunts, I don't know what happened there, but walking the leadoff guy kind of snowballed the whole inning as well as the bunts they were giving us outs on, and we didn't get outs on the bunts.”
Sveum continued by saying he was looking ahead in the game. LaHair is a left-handed batter, and the Reds have three lefties in their bullpen — including hard-throwing Aroldis Chapman and closer and ex-Cub Sean Marshall, who wound up earning his third save.
“Double-switching there, it was probably going to be the last meaningful at-bat he was going to get off a right-hander,” Sveum said of LaHair. “If they had two right-handed setup guys, I wouldn't have been double-switching for LaHair there.”
As far as the defense goes, Soto hit Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto with the ball as Cueto sacrificed in the sixth. The next batter, Zack Cozart, also bunted, and Soto's throw pulled Blake DeWitt off the first-base bag for another error. The Reds got a run on a forceout and another when reliever Scott Maine walked Jay Bruce with the bases loaded.
The Cubs stressed defense in spring training. Their error total rose to 16, and they entered the game third from the bottom in fielding percentage in the National League.
“Good bunts,” Soto said. “But that bunt play's got to be made. It's got to be made ... We're taking pride in being a lot better defensively. We're working our tails off to improve in the areas we need to improve in, and that's one of them.”
Offense remains tough to come by. The Cubs were 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position, with Alfonso Soriano making outs twice with the bases loaded. Cubs batters haven't homered since April 13, and all of Soriano's 11 hits this year are singles.
“We battled and got on base, but just couldn't get that big hit,” Sveum said.