Cubs rally goes to waste as Giants unload in 11th inning
With a new and improved offense, the Cubs like to think they are never out of a game.
They put the plan into practice Tuesday with a 2-run rally in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings against San Francisco. After missing a chance to win it in the 10th, though, the Giants teed off on reliever Ryan Pressly in the 11th and won 14-5 at Wrigley Field.
The 9 runs scored by the Giants in the 11th are the most ever allowed by the Cubs in extra innings, according to team historian Ed Hartig.
While starting pitcher Colin Rea tossed a dud for the first time this season, the Cubs bullpen produced 5 scoreless innings before things got ugly. The top of the 11th started with a double, single, fielder's choice RBI bunt, walk, hit batter, then 3 more singles before manager Craig Counsell mercifully pulled Pressly from the game.
“He couldn't finish hitters, essentially,” Counsell said of Pressly. “That was it, and it snowballed a little bit.
“Look, the score doesn't make it look like a good baseball game. It was a good baseball game. The 11th was not a good inning for us. We made a nice comeback, did some good things, then we had shots to win it.”
The Cubs made four outs Tuesday on balls hit with 100-plus mile per hour exit velocity, but stuck with it.
The ninth-inning rally got some help from Giants closer Ryan Walker. The frame began with a walk to Pete Crow-Armstrong. It should have been on four pitches, but Walker got a generous call on 3-0 and it eventually took 8 pitches to draw the free pass.
After Dansby Swanson struck out, pinch-hitter Carson Kelly drew another walk and pinch-hitter Justin Turner singled to the right side to drive in a run. Kelly made a bold decision to head for third base, and he made it without a play when Giants right fielder Mike Yastrzemski got a little too anxious and overran the ball hit by Turner.
Walker fanned Ian Happ for the second out, then San Francisco brought in lefty Erik Miller to face Kyle Tucker, who ripped the first pitch into center field for the game-tying single.
Porter Hodge kept the Giants scoreless in the top of the 10th inning, but the Cubs couldn't capitalize. Crow-Armstrong struck out with runners on the corners, then Swanson lined out to third to end the inning.
Rea had been a sensation for the Cubs, with the lowest ERA (1.46) of any pitcher who has been with the team all season He returned to Earth a bit in this one, allowing 4 earned runs and 8 hits in 5 innings.
After falling behind 4-0, the Cubs got back in it when Miguel Amaya dropped a 2-run homer into the left field bleachers in the third.
The Giants’ defense had a rough time in the series opener, committing 4 errors. This time, catcher Patrick Bailey delivered a pivotal defensive play, making a perfect throw to second base to nab Jon Berti on a steal attempt in the fifth inning. The Cubs followed with a hit by pitch and single, but couldn't put another run on the board while trailing 5-3.
The Cubs gave up an unearned run on a throwing error by third baseman Berti when the Giants scored twice in the second inning. Jung Hoo Lee tagged Rea with a 2-run homer in the third.
Crow-Armstrong provided a couple highlights in the outfield. He made a leaping catch at the wall on a deep fly by Yastrzemski in the third, then made a sliding grab in right-center field after a long run to rob Jung Hoo Lee in the fifth. The Yastrzemski fly had a .690 expected batting average, according to Statcast.
The series finale is Wednesday afternoon, with Ben Brown scheduled to face lefty Robbie Ray.