The Chicago Cubs lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 3-2, on Monday night at Wrigley Field, the opener of a three-game series.
The contest was a big one in an ever-tightening NL Central race. The Cubs (65-47) are still within striking distance of the Milwaukee Brewers, but the Reds (59-54) made up a much-needed game on the Cubs for second place in the division.
Chicago still has a sizeable cushion as the top NL wild card team, but each loss takes on greater meaning this time of year.
Here are three thoughts on the game.
Soroka’s Injury-Marred Outing
Monday was Michael Soroka’s first start as a Cub. Acquired at the trade deadline from the Washington Nationals, he was supposed to give the rotation some back-end ballast.
In the first inning, he recorded strikeouts for all three outs, including one on Elly De La Cruz. In the second, he gave up a Tyler Stephenson home run. In the third inning he left the game with what the Cubs described as right shoulder discomfort, per ESPN.
His line? He gave up a hit, a run, a walk and struck out three. Those are great numbers for five or six innings, which is what Chicago was hoping for.
This was the starting pitching move the Cubs made at the deadline. If he’s out for any length of time, then it’s up to Ben Brown or the injured Javier Assad — who is on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Iowa — to take over the spot.
That could put the Cubs back at square one, depending on the severity.
Brown’s Reassuring Relief
Ben Brown is one of those pitchers that can swing into a starting role or be a reliever — but consistency can be problematic.
He came through on Monday and in relief of Soroka, he gave the Cubs four innings of great relief, allowing just two hits and one run with five strikeouts.
His last two games have been terrific. Against the Chicago White Sox on July 27, he claimed a victory with five innings of three-hit baseball. He allowed one run and struck out four. In his last two games, he’s pitched nine innings, allowed five hits, two runs and struck out nine.
Given Soroka’s status, it’s possible Brown could be called up to start when Soroka’s turn comes up again.
It begs the question — will the Cubs get the Brown that has pitched well in his last two outings or the one that is 5-7 with a 6.04 ERA this season? Chicago needs the former to become Brown’s default.
A Bad Time for a Dry Spell
The Chicago Cubs needed help from their offense. They had no such luck. Chicago managed just three hits off Cincinnati pitching — and none came from the top four hitters in the order.
In division games, teams need their top four hitters to produce consistently. That didn’t happen on Monday. Second baseman Nico Hoerner, right fielder Kyle Tucker, designated hitter Seiya Suzuki and catcher Carson Kelly went a combined 0-for-14 in the game.
Shortstop Dansby Swanson, who batted eighth, brought home both runs with a two-run home run. The other two hits came from left fielder Ian Happ, who batted seventh, and new acquisition Willi Castro, who batted fifth.
It was not the kind of night the Cubs needed from their best hitters.
