The Yankees are a very good team. You can’t make mistakes and beat them, and that was the lesson learned Saturday.
The Yankees shut out the Cubs 2-0 on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field, and before I get to the two mistakes noted in the headline to this recap, a couple of shutout facts from BCB’s JohnW53:
This was the 11th home game of the year in which the Cubs were shut out, tying their single-season record, set in 1947. They have averaged 4.8 shutouts at home per season since 1901.
Their 15 total shutouts this year are five more than all of last season. The last year they had more was 2014, when they finished with 16 for a third straight season.
I’ve got more. It was the first time the Cubs had been shut out in back-to-back games since May 13 and May 14 at Atlanta. But it was the first time the Cubs have been shut out in back-to-back games at Wrigley Field in more than 11 years, since a pair of shutouts by the Dodgers on Aug. 3 and Aug. 4, 2013.
This team is better than that 96-loss 2013 team, but there have been times they have simply stopped hitting, and this series has been a perfect example.
Oh, yes, the two mistakes. Here they are.
Mistake No. 1: After Javier Assad allowed an infield hit and walk to begin the first inning, he threw a wild pitch while Aaron Judge was batting. This allowed the runners to move up to second and third.
Had that wild pitch not happened, Austin Wells’ ground out would have likely been an inning-ending double play. Instead, a run scored.
Assad got out of that inning and threw very well through the fifth, allowing just three more baserunners from inning 2 through 5, one of them on a ball Pete Crow-Armstrong had in his glove, then dropped. I don’t put too much blame on PCA for that — most center fielders don’t even get to that ball. No damage as no run scored in that inning.
Mistake No. 2: Assad walked Judge to lead off the sixth inning, then recorded a pair of outs on a strikeout and fly to right. The latter would likely have been a home run if the wind hadn’t been blowing in [VIDEO].
Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed with a single, with Judge stopping at second. Then this happened [VIDEO].
The Yankees tried a double steal with Judge and Chisholm. As you can see on the video clip, Judge was almost at third base when Christian Bethancourt threw the ball, which got past Patrick Wisdom into left field. Judge scored to make it 2-0.
Bethancourt should have just eaten the ball, with two out. Assad got removed for Drew Smyly, who got Anthony Rizzo to pop up to end the inning.
Not that the second run would have made any difference, because it was already 1-0 and the Cubs weren’t scoring anyway. Still, you can’t make mistakes like that with a team like the Yankees, because they will pounce on them.
The Cubs didn’t get a runner past first base until the fifth inning, when Wisdom tripled. That happened after PCA had singled and was caught stealing [VIDEO].
If that doesn’t happen, PCA would have scored and there still would have been only one out.
After that, the Cubs had just one baserunner the rest of the way, a one-out walk by Seiya Suzuki with two out in the sixth. Otherwise, the offense was completely missing in action.
And here’s more about Assad’s outing from BCB’s JohnW53:
Javier Assad today became only the sixth Cubs starter since 1901 to pitch exactly 5⅔ innings and allow 1 unearned run on 3 hits. He is the first to be saddled with a loss.Kyle Farnsworth had no decision at home vs. the Mets on March 30, 2000.
The four others earned wins: Kevin Tapani in 1998 at home vs. the Expos, Carlos Zambrano at Cincinnati in 2003, Eddie Butler in 2017 at home vs. the Marlins and Jameson Taillon on June 2 of last year at San Diego.
The Cubs had a really good August, going 18-8, and now are just 2-4 in September after going into this month with an 8-1 road trip. Now, the rest of the month is likely going to be trying things out for 2024. Who knows, maybe they’ll go on some kind of run after this but that doesn’t seem likely at all.
Hopefully, they can take the final game of the series Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Jameson Taillon will start for the Cubs and Gerrit Cole gets the call for the Yankees. Game time is 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
