Rockies 9, Cubs 5

Michael Busch hit a game-tying three-run homer, but the Cubs’ very slim postseason hopes took a hit Friday evening.

With the 2024 season almost over and the Cubs’ postseason chances hanging by an ever-thinner thread, their 9-5 loss to the Rockies seemed in some ways a microcosm of said season.

Early lead? Check.

Blown lead? Check.

Okay starting pitching? Check.

Late-inning comeback? Check.

Bullpen failure? Well, that’s what cost the Cubs this game, Drew Smyly and Nate Pearson combined to give the Rockies a four-run eighth and that, as they say, was that.

Let’s begin at the beginning.

This game started well for the Cubs. Ian Happ led off with a walk and advanced to third on a double by Dansby Swanson.

One out later, Cody Bellinger singled in both runners [VIDEO].

But Javier Assad could not hold the lead. He served up a three-run homer to Hunter Goodman in the third, and the Rockies scored a single run in the fourth for a 4-2 lead.

Meanwhile, the Cubs were getting runners on base. They had the first two men on base in both the fourth and sixth innings, but failed to capitalize on the opportunities. In both cases I think Cubs hitters were overanxious. In the fourth, it took just eight pitches to end the inning (strikeout, double play). In the sixth, just six pitches (three outfield putouts). Gotta make those opposing pitchers work!

The Rockies plated another run off Ethan Roberts in the seventh to make it 5-2. Roberts had thrown very well in low-leverage situations recently, so Craig Counsell put him in a somewhat higher-leverage inning. Unfortunately, he didn’t come through. That doesn’t mean that Roberts can’t be a useful bullpen piece going forward, but he wasn’t on this night.

So the game went to the eighth with the Cubs still down three. And again, as they had done three previous times, they got the first two men on base via singles by Bellinger and Isaac Paredes (who had three hits on the night).

Michael Busch then put a baseball in the second deck at Coors Field [VIDEO].

That ball was absolutely demolished [VIDEO].

So, a tie game... maybe there’s a chance?

Not this time. Smyly loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. He did strike out Nolan Jones, and then Counsell called on Pearson. He got the count to 0-2 on Goodman and then laid a pitch right in the middle of the zone, and Goodman did not miss, smashing a grand slam. That gave him seven RBI on the night.

Seth Halvorsen, a rookie making his seventh MLB appearance, closed out the Cubs on just 13 pitches.

Here are Counsell’s postgame comments [VIDEO].

A screenshot from the very end of that clip pretty much sums up this season:

Marquee Sports Network

I am, as you know, generally the optimist here, but losing this game while the Braves and Mets both won put a real dagger in any tiny postseason chance the Cubs still had remaining. Sure, they could still pull some kind of miracle finish to this year, but that is extremely unlikely. Baseball-reference now puts the Cubs’ postseason chances at 0.6 percent and FanGraphs has them at 0.3 percent. So... it’s very likely not happening.

And once again, although they had little impact on the final score, Nate Tomlinson’s ball-and-strike calls were generally terrible. I’ll be interested in seeing the ump scorecard when it’s available later this morning. The day MLB institutes the ball-and-strike challenge system will be a day for celebration.

The season does continue, though, and there’s another game Saturday evening against the Rockies. Jameson Taillon will start for the Cubs and Kyle Freeland gets the call for the Rockies. Game time is 7:10 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.