Cubs get another clutch HR, walk-off win; Boyd joins injured list
Plenty of recent Cubs occurrences defy explanation.
Another pitcher injury, followed by a third straight walk-off victory happened Wednesday at Wrigley Field. With a huge assist from some PCA pixie dust in the bottom of the ninth.
The Cubs beat the Reds 7-6 in 10 innings on Michael Busch's bases-loaded walk. It was the second day in a row Busch recorded a game-winning RBI in the 10th.
The Cubs’ home win streak stretched to 14 straight, their overall win streak is eight and their 25-12 record is the best start since 2016.
“You feel like you've seen a lot of baseball games in your life, then you see stuff you don't expect to see,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “That's why we love it. It wasn't your normal game, but both sides were battling and we came out on top.”
The ninth inning was a roller coaster. The Cubs carried a 4-2 lead, but the Reds scored 4 runs against Cubs relievers Corbin Martin and Hoby Milner. Counsell didn't want to use closer Daniel Palencia on back-to-back days, since he just came off the injured list with a lat strain.
There was still hope, though, and Pete Crow-Armstrong kept the Cubs alive with a 2-run, opposite-field home run with one out in the ninth. The home run, on a 3-2 pitch, followed Carson Kelly's single.
“(Reds lefty Graham) Ashcraft is very tough on lefties, but Pete did a nice job,” Counsell said. “You just don't know what's going to happen when Pete comes up. It's not supposed to happen, but then it happens. That's kind of Pete. I can't explain a lot of his at-bats, personally.”
Crow-Armstrong hit a 3-2 slider, about ankle high, to the opposite field for the tying home run.
“I can't give you a better explanation than (Counsell) can,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I think I've always handled the pitch down relatively all right. I just think being ready for a heater and running into that (slider) is kind of how to explain that one. With a guy that's throwing 98 mph cutters, you have to be ready for that. He's good.”
The Cubs got another dose of bad news before Wednesday's game as starting pitcher Matthew Boyd went on the 15-day injured list with a meniscus issue in his left knee.
Right-hander Trent Thornton, called up from Iowa to replace Boyd, made his Cubs debut in the top of the 10th inning, taking the mound after Milner walked the leadoff batter. Thornton coaxed a double play and retired the side with no runs scored to earn the win.
Before the game Counsell said “some kind of surgery is likely” for Boyd, and they'll have a better timeline for how much time he'll miss once that happens. At least a month or two seems like a decent guess at this point.
According to Counsell, the injury happened Wednesday morning. Boyd did a routine movement at home and felt pain. He had an MRI exam Wednesday morning, which revealed the injury.
“Yeah, just a kind of innocent, just going down onto the ground and getting back up,” Counsell said. “Kind of unexplainable. Just sitting down with his kids.”
Boyd was already on the injured list earlier this season with a left biceps strain. After being named to the all-star team last year, the left-hander was off to a slow start with a 6.00 ERA in five outings.
Counsell wasn't ready to announce a replacement plan. The most obvious solution would be to return Javier Assad to the rotation. Assad started three games the first time Boyd was on the injured list.
“That spot comes up Friday (at Texas),” Counsell said. “We're probably not going to make plans for it and just kind of figure out after Thursday what we do. There will be plans, but very loose plans. This is an opportunity for somebody.”
Among the strange occurrences was the Reds scoring the 2 go-ahead runs in the top of the ninth on a rare 2-run sacrifice fly. With the bases loaded, Seiya Suzuki caught the ball while backpedaling and fell against the bullpen door.
Ian Happ had 3 hits, including a 2-run homer in the first inning, his team-high ninth of the season. Happ's home run was No. 182 of his career and broke a tie for 12th place on the Cubs' all-time list with Alfonso Soriano.
Happ also stretched his on-base streak to 27 games, the Cubs' longest since Bryan LaHair reached 30 in 2012.