Cubs rotation continues to underwhelm in 9-8 loss to Detroit
It is now mid-May and the Cubs starting rotation is showing few signs of improvement.
After Trevor Williams lasted just 2 innings on Saturday in Detroit, Cubs starters dropped back to last in the majors with a 5.20 ERA.
The Cubs kept battling through the early hook, but finally lost 9-8 in 10 innings when the Tigers scored twice off closer Craig Kimbrel.
The loss spoiled a big day at the plate by Matt Duffy, who went 3-for-5 with 5 RBI. He hit a 3-run home run, his first this season, to put the Cubs ahead 7-6 in the fifth, and also gave them a 1-run lead in the 10th with an RBI single.
"Mentalities in general are contagious," Duffy said. "Once offenses get rolling, it can make for a long day."
Williams wasn't the only Cubs pitcher who struggled. Alec Mills gave up 3 runs in less than 2 innings, and Rex Brothers got into a jam in the seventh that led to Detroit tying the score.
"He didn't look real sharp," Cubs manager David Ross said of Williams. "He was having to work really hard, even when he was getting ahead, not able to put guys away, falling behind to some guys.
"Just the at-bats from the other team, there weren't too many of those guys that seemed fooled by much. It didn't seem like it was coming out real crisp. With the guys that were rested down in the pen, I thought I had a little bit of length today."
Mills pitched for the first time in 10 days, so he might have an excuse for being rusty. Following the game, Williams contested the idea he wasn't at his best.
"It really is one of those where I executed a changeup I thought on (Robbie) Grossman," Williams said. "He put a good swing on it, a good piece of hitting, hit it down the line. I executed a good four-seam up and away to (Nomar) Mazara and he stayed on it, had a good piece of hitting, hit it down the line. I was able to throw all my pitches in the zone today."
After the Cubs took a 2-0 lead on Rizzo's 2-run double, the Tigers scored 3 in the bottom of the first on two doubles, a walk and infield single. With a chance to redeem himself, Williams got the first two outs in the second inning, then gave up a walk and single, prompting Ross to make a switch.
One pitcher who did impress - again - was rookie Keegan Thompson. He tossed two scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts, and has now thrown 10⅓ innings in the majors without allowing an earned run.
A starter in the minor leagues, it certainly seems inevitable that Thompson will get a chance to add some life to the Cubs starting rotation. When it might happen is a more complicated issue that may require someone going on the injured list, but none of the starters has been great so far. Jake Arrieta has the best ERA of the group at 4.10.
"I don't think anyone's closed the door on him being a starter at all," Ross said of Thompson.
Not considered a highly rated prospect in the Cubs system, Thompson was a third-round pick in 2017 out of Auburn.
"I've always been a starter," he said. "But I'll tell you what, whatever keeps me up here, I'll do whatever they ask me to do."
After Duffy's RBI single in the 10th, the Cubs seemed to be in a good spot to finish it off with Kimbrel in the mound. Miguel Cabrera led off with a fly to center, which got the automatic runner to third. Needing a strikeout, Kimbrel started 0-2 on Mazara, but he eventually bounced a single past the shifted infielder to bring in the tying run.
Pinch-runner Jacoby Jones stole second while Kimbrel got a strikeout. But then light-hitting second baseman Willi Castro (. 202) poked a single to right that ended the game.
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