Tuesday's Dramatic, Cathartic Win Points the Way Back for Struggling Cubs

[Jacob Zanolla]

Lately, the Cubs have been really bad offensively, and really good on the pitching side of things. Sure, a 1-0 win Tuesday night would have been cool, but Héctor Neris giving up the tying run so we went to extras ended up working out. If the Cubs had lost the game, it clearly would have been a worst-case scenario, and I would have been livid. However, they not only won, but we saw some great pitching backed by an electric outburst of offense in the 10th inning. Whether they can use that momentum is yet to be seen, but it's a good start. 

Image courtesy of © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

 

The Cubs were able to snap a five game losing streak on Tuesday, beating the Milwaukee Brewers in 10 innings. While it may not have seemed like it at first, this is exactly the type of game they needed to get back on a winning track--and Wednesday's loss, while no fun, only reinforced the notion that the offense is ready to wake up.

Michael Busch hit a solo home run in the second inning to give the Cubs an early lead Tuesday, something that hasn’t happened in quite a long time. Looking back on the last homestand against Pittsburgh and Atlanta, the only two times they had the lead were at the moments when they walked off the opponents for wins. In a way, they never really had the lead all homestand. The Cardinals series was a sweep, so not much to be extremely happy about there. Busch has been slumping, and was named a candidate by some to be sent down in a few days when Pete Crow-Armstrong is eligible to be promoted again. He sat on a first-pitch curveball and absolutely demolished it to center field, which had to be a confidence boost for the struggling first baseman.

With the first run out of the way, insurance would have been ideal. That didn’t happen, as the Cubs offense once again forgot how to hit a baseball. To be fair, Freddy Peralta was on the mound. It’s going to be hard to get much going against him, but they did it a few weeks ago in Chicago, so we know it’s possible. We know the offense has been struggling, so I don’t want to focus too much on that. Let’s try and ignore the lack of runs for a minute, and focus on what was once again elite: the starting pitching.

Ben Brown was acquired from the Phillies for David Robertson in 2022. Brown spent the balance of that campaigna and all of 2023 in the minors, but did well this spring and just missed out on a spot in the rotation. He got an early chance with the Cubs this season because of Justin Steele’s untimely injury, and has been spectacular (minus his first, poor relief outing) in Texas. He had everything working in this game, striking out 10 and allowing only two walks. He didn’t give up any runs, but the best part is that he kept the Brewers offense hitless. Cody Bellinger robbed a home run from Willy Adames that would have tied the game and been the first hit for the Brewers all night. This felt like the play that always happens when there is a no-hitter, something that fans look back on and single out as the play that saved the feat.

Brown was taken out after the seventh inning, and the no-hitter was lost two batters later. Héctor Neris ended up blowing the one-run lead in the ninth inning, continuing to earn his nickname of "Heart Attack Hector". At first, I was really frustrated, and worried the team would squander this fantastic start by Brown. The Cubs ended up breaking out in the 10th inning, though, scoring five times to give the bullpen some much-needed breathing room. Ian Happ cracked a two-run double, with Busch, Mike Tauchman and Cody Bellinger having one RBI apiece in the frame. Happ and Busch have been struggling, along with Bellinger if we really dive into the numbers. He hasn't been doing as poorly as the others, but he's definitely been slumping as well. 

With another six runs and a couple of near-misses that could have driven that number higher, the Cubs followed Tuesday night's win with another encouraging offensive performance. It goes down as a loss, but that game reinforced the progress suggested by Tuesday night's win. Hopefully, the team is turning a corner, and will get back to playing winning baseball in the weeks ahead.

 

View full article