A respectable 9th inning rally wasn’t enough to overcome bad bullpen outings as the Cubs failed to sweep today’s doubleheader in Cleveland.
Leading 3-0 entering the bottom of the 6th — courtesy of home runs from Matt Shaw and Dansby Swanson — Ben Brown entered the game when Shota Imanaga gave up a leadoff double to Steven Kwan and quickly demonstrated a familiar lack of command that proved costly.
Brown began by walking Angel Martinez, got Jose Ramirez to fly out, gave up an RBI line drive single to CJ Kayfus, RBI sac fly to Chase DeLauter, walked Rhys Hoskins, then allowed an RBI single from Gabriel Arias to allow the Guardians to claw all the way back to even at 3-3.
Brown’s ineffectiveness was temporarily forgiven when Ian Happ launched a go-ahead home run in the top of the 8th off Shawn Armstrong to make it 4-3, but the bullpen woes were not over.
Jacob Webb entered in the bottom of the 8th and promptly gave up a game-tying homerun to Kayfus on an 84mph changeup that caught too much plate. DeLauter then singled to right field, Hoskins followed with a walk, Arias scorched an RBI groundball single up the middle to make it 5-4, then Austin Hedges pushed it to 6-4 with an RBI single off Ethan Roberts that bounced past a diving Alex Bregman.
Just the type of loss that makes one ask questions, particularly whether Ben Brown should’ve gotten the spot he did in the bullpen on the Opening Day roster? Especially when considering the progress Brown made this spring as a starter with a new third pitch. Would he have been better off continuing that progress at Triple-A?
Meanwhile, Webb has allowed home runs in two of his five outings so far, and the stuff tells the eyes (so far) that it’s of middle relief quality and not cut out for high-leverage.
The failed two-out, 9th inning rally began with Nico Hoerner and Bregman both walking and Happ driving in Hoerner with a bloop single to make it 6-5. But a strikeout of Carson Kelly ended the threat and the game.
Shota Imanaga is today’s Ankin Law: “Making it Personal” Player of the Game. Shota finished: 5.0IP, 3H, 1ER, 1BB, 4K. Had his put-away pitches been a bit sharper and better located, Craig Counsell’s hook may not have been so quick in the 5th inning, but an elevated pitch count and third time through the order was too much to ignore.
Shaw’s solo home run and Swanson’s two-run home run were both their first of the season. Shaw’s an impressive opposite field shot off a high fastball, while Swanson went down and dug out an 83mph Matt Festa slider and sent it 380-feet into the left field bleachers.
Next up: A three-game series at Tampa Bay that begins tomorrow afternoon at 3:10.
Full box score.
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