This was a fun and exciting game but let me start with what I think is the most encouraging takeaway:
Taj Bradley looked very sharp. His went seven innings, which by itself is great. But he also gave up no earned runs (although two unearned runs scored), while striking out eleven. That’s some ace stuff!
But that almost didn’t matter because his defense let him down. The fifth inning opened with a single off the glove of shortstop Caballero. The ball was hard it but to my (admittedly untrained) eyes it looked playable, and I had thought it would be called an error rather than a hit. That was followed by a second Cubs single to put runners on first and second.
Then came bunt-a-pallooza. The Cubs bunted the runners over to second and third for the first out. Then weak-hitting Pete Crow-Armstrong bunted toward third base, and Isaac Paredes did a great job anticipating the bunt and fielding it with a throw to the plate. The throw was on the money, and on time, but Alex Jackson just…didn’t catch it. No tag, no out, the run scored and another runner moved up to third base.
So of course the Cubs figured they could try this again, with weak hitting Yan Gomes bunting, this time requiring Jackson to leave the plate to field the ball, at which point his only play was to first base. So he got the second out but another run scored.
With this Rays offense, of course, a two run deficit in the latter half of the game seemed insurmountable.
The Rays even had an actual threat in the bottom of the sixth inning. Alex Jackson walked, Yandy Diaz blooped a single. Brandon Lowe scorched a grounder to second; the second baseman wasn’t able to get the out but by keeping the ball in the infield he saved a run. With bases loaded and two outs, Isaac Paredes could manage only a feeble inning ending pop up.
Cubs pitcher Justin Steele was so effective I was quite glad to see him out after six innings. And apparently so were the Rays hitters. He was replaced by Mark Leiter Jr. and at last the Rays got on the board. Rosario singled and advanced to second on an error. After Siri walked, Josh Lowe singled to drive in the Rays first run and move Siri to third, from where he could score the tying run on a ground out. Singles machine Yandy Diaz did his thing to drive in the go-ahead run, and Mark Leiter Jr. was done, with the Rays holding a slim 3-2 lead.
Recently re-activated Colin Poche came in to pitch a clean eighth, and while the Rays had men on base in the bottom of that inning they did not score more runs, which brings us to the dreaded “trying to save one run game” situation in the ninth.
Not that we don’t have faith in Pete! Because although he did allow one baserunner via a walk (does he ever NOT allow at least one baserunner) the inning ended with a double play started by Taylor Walls, here to remind us that he’s pretty good at this shortstop stuff.
All of us right now:
