Cubs let 5-run lead slip away, Astros win 7-6 in the ninth
Talk about an utter implosion.
The Cubs, who took a 6-1 lead after four innings at Houston on Wednesday, dropped their fifth straight when the Astros stormed back by scoring 2 runs in the eighth and 4 in the ninth to claim a 7-6 victory.
Seiya Suzuki homered in the first and third innings to help the Cubs build a 5-1 advantage, and starter Drew Smyly breezed through 6 innings, allowing just 1 run on 4 hits.
An easy victory seemed all but certain, but manager David Ross elected to go to the bullpen at that point, with disastrous results.
Mark Leiter Jr. let the Astros get within 6-3 in the eighth by yielding an RBI double to Alex Bregman and an RBI single to Jose Abreu.
In the ninth, Ross turned to Keegan Thompson, who had allowed just 1 run in his last 6 innings. Thompson was hit hard, however, as Yainer Diaz led off with a first-pitch single and Jake Meyers followed with an absolute bomb to left field to make it 6-5. Thompson then went to the showers after walking Mauricio Dubon.
In came Brandon Hughes. And down went the Cubs after he gave up an RBI double to Jeremy Pena and a 2-run single to Kyle Tucker.
"I mean, we've got to win that game," Ross told reporters. "We've got to pitch better on the back end. Offense did enough tonight. Played good defense. … (Some) really nice plays. We've got to cash that win in."
The meltdown makes one wonder: Why not allow Smyly to throw another inning? Or two? He only threw 84 pitches and there are plenty of managers who give their starters a chance to hit 95, 100 or even 105 - especially when the bullpen is struggling and/or overtaxed.
Which is the case on both fronts for the Cubs (19-24).
Now, let's circle back to Suzuki, whom Jed Hoyer signed to a five-year, $85 million contract in 2022. The Japanese star had a terrific game Wednesday, going 3-for-3 with 2 walks.
But where's the superstar production that Hoyer envisioned when he said: "We've talked a lot about building the next great Cubs team. We signed Seiya to a five-year contract because we believe he'll play a significant role in that success now and that success in the future."
Fourteen months later, the results are not terrible - but they certainly don't measure up to a $17 million annual salary.
Suzuki missed 51 games as a rookie - many due to injury - and finished 104-for-397 (.262) with 14 home runs and 46 RBIs. His on-base percentage was .336 and OPS .770.
This season? The numbers were nearly identical before Wednesday, with Suzuki hitting .266 with a .347 OBP. He had 3 home runs and 14 RBIs in his first 30 games.
It's simply not good enough. To achieve star status in this league, you need to be hitting at least 30 home runs, driving in 85 or more runs, hitting close to .300, notching a .375 OBP and play near flawless defense.
Perhaps Suzuki is finally finding his stride, though, as he's gone 10-for-25 (.400) with 3 doubles, 4 home runs, 8 RBIs and 5 walks over the last seven games.
But those numbers need to continue for more than a week.
In addition to Suzuki, the Cubs also got multihit games from Christopher Morel (3-for-5, walk, HR), Ian Happ (2-for-3, walk, RBI) and Trey Mancini (2-for-5). Five of Morel's 12 hits have gone for home runs, with each one traveling over 400 feet.
The Cubs jumped on Astros starter J.P. France from the get-go, with Morel drawing a leadoff walk, Dansby Swanson tripling to right-center and Happ driving in Swanson with a sacrifice fly.
The Cubs begin a three-game series at Philadelphia on Friday.
Bellinger update:
CF Cody Bellinger did not play for a second straight game after injuring his knee making a leaping catch Monday. Manager David Ross said Bellinger should return Friday.