Pittsburgh defeated the Cubs at PNC Park, extending the Cubs’ losing streak to 10 games. The Pirates scored five runs in the bottom of the first against spot starter Jordan Wicks, starting with a two-run double by Bryan Reynolds. Oneil Cruz added an RBI single, and Esmerlyn Valdez hit a home run. The Cubs scored their only run in the top of the second on an RBI double by Ian Happ. Pittsburgh added three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 8-1 and finished with 12 runs. Jordan Wicks was ineffective, and the Cubs have scored in only seven of their last 72 innings.
"Pittsburgh scored five runs on Wicks in the bottom of the 1st, beginning with a two-run double by Bryan Reynolds. That was followed by an RBI single from Oneil Cruz and a homer off the bat of Esmerlyn Valdez. The visitors scored their only run of the game against hard-throwing Braxton Ashcraft on an RBI double by Ian Happ in the top of the 2nd. The Bucs removed any lingering drama with three more in the bottom of the 5th to increase their advantage to 8-1."
"By the end of the game, the total damage was 12 runs for Pittsburgh as the North Siders limped off to lick their wounds. (Box score) Key Moment The Cubs are in a very fragile state right now, and a five-run opening inning gave them no chance. Why the Cubs Lost With the way this offense is going, even allowing only two runs puts them in a deep hole."
"Stats That Matter Wicks has been completely ineffective in his major league career: 4.1 IP, 8 R, 9 H, 5 K, and 1 BB. Alex Bregman had a pair of hits, including a double. The Cubs have scored in only seven of their last 72 innings."
"Bottom Line This is the most bewildering Cubs season I have ever seen, and it's not even June. Bad teams don't have two 10-game winning streaks, and good teams don't have 10-game losing streaks (unless we're talking about the 2017 Dodgers). Well, this squad has done both with over 100 games left in the season. I don't even know what to say at this point, but teh Cubs will have to win again at some point."
Read at Cubsinsider
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]