Stroman exits with injury in loss to Cardinals |
LONDON - The Chicago Cubs (37-39) getting back to .500 will have to wait until they return to the United States. Already with a perfect 4-0 week entering Sunday's series finale with the St. Louis Cardinals (32-45), you had to like the Cubs chances to sweep the weekend tilt across the pond and get back to the .500 mark for the first time since May 12.
This team has been on fire lately, winning 11 of their last 13 games and sending their Ace Marcus Stroman, to the mound. To make matters worse for the Cardinals, Jack Flaherty was initially slated to start the game but was scratched due to hip soreness and replaced by Matthew Liberatore. All things tilted in the Cubs favor, but that is why you play the game, as the Cubs wasted an early four-run lead capped off by Stroman exiting the game with a blister on his index finger. Marcus Stroman could be seen giving his pitching hand a shake multiple times throughout the 4th. That included after each of his final four pitches before departing. Here's one in the last at-bat vs. Paul Goldschmidt. pic.twitter.com/M0TPmVBSzm Shout to London for the love. Grateful for this experience. Can’t wait to come back and enjoy this incredible city! 🇬🇧 @Cubs
That allowed the Cardinals to salvage a series split with the 7-5 win. Before exiting the game, Stroman was not as crisp as he had been in the past, and you have to wonder if his blister was why. Stroman allowed six runs on eight hits in 3 1/3, with seven of those hits coming off his sinker. His line is better than it looks, as some horrendous defense from Trey Mancini allowed for three unearned runs to score, which was the difference in the game. Liberatore was the opposite of Stroman, as he was roughed up early before settling in nicely. He may have allowed four runs in 2 1/3, but none of those runs were earned as the Cubs jumped on him early. The Cubs didn't waste any time grabbing the lead, although a leadoff error from Paul DeJong allowed Nico Hoerner to reach. After Liberatore retired the next two hitters, the Cubs offense came to life as they made DeJong pay for that early error. First, the Dansby Swanson single put the Cubs in front 1-0 before Mancini did something good with his bat and used an RBI double to make things 3-0. Nothing St. Louis could do!
Miguel Amaya kept the line moving as he smoked one past Nolan Arenado at third for another double as the Cubs were off and running early, 4-0. Little did they know those would be the last of their runs for quite some time, but they had to like their chances with Stroman on the mound. Like in the top half of the first, it was a leadoff error that gave the Cardinals a baserunner, but it was Stroman bouncing back to turn a perfectly executed double play against Lars Nootbaar to end the frame. Stroman wasn't as lucky in the second as singles from Willson Contreras and Nolan Gorman put a pair of runners on with one out. A walk to Jordan Walker loaded the bases, but with two outs, Stroman was on the verge of getting out of the inning. A few pitches later, he appeared to do just that, only to have Mancini drop another throw at first base to extend the inning and allow a run to score. That play opened the floodgates for the Cardinals as Brendan Donovan followed that up with a single to pull the Cardinals within 4-3. That play from Mancini seemed to rub David Ross the wrong way as he was lifted for Cody Bellinger in the third, who then lined a single to right to put a pair of runners on with two outs. Looking to bounce back from their last inning, Mike Tauchman was announced as the pinch hitter for Amaya and beat out a would inning-ending double play. However, Happ was trying to be aggressive on the bases as he was thrown out at home by Paul Goldschmidt, and the inning ended with an unconventional double play. Mistakes like that can't happen when you are trying to win a game, and after Nootbaar led the bottom of the third off with a single, the Cardinals had the tying run on base. Contreras picked up another single two batters later as part of his 4-4 day, but once again, the Cardinals were on the verge of coming up empty. That was until the suddenly red-hot Walker came through and drove a Stroman slider up the middle for the game-tying RBI single. Things continued to unravel for the Cubs in the fourth, with Tommy Edman picking up a one-out single before Donovan was hit by a pitch to put a pair of runners on base. Looking to continue his mastery of Stroman, the 2022 NL MVP came through in the clutch as Goldschmidt went the other way to put the Cardinals in front for good 5-4. That was the final hitter Stroman would face as he left the game with a blister and was replaced by Michael Fulmer, who allowed a sacrifice fly later in the inning as the Cardinals took the 6-4 lead. From this point forward, this would be a battle of the bullpens, and the Cubs pen was much better than the Cardinals pen. Jake Woodford started things for the Cardinals and pitched very well before yielding to Genesis Cabrerra as the Cubs went through the fifth without adding on. Fulmer came back out to pitch the fifth for the Cubs, and after allowing a leadoff double to Contreras, the single from Gorman put the Cardinals up 7-4. That was the game's final run for the Cardinals, but given the Cub's struggles after the first, many fans felt it was too big of a mountain to climb. A scoreless sixth from Cabrerra and Mark Leiter Jr, where each pitched faced the minimum, moved the game to the seventh, where Giovanni Gallegos took over. Gallegos continued to make quick work of the Cubs with another flawless inning, setting the tone for Hayden Wesneski to pitch the bottom of the seventh after Fulmer got the first hitter. Since returning from Iowa, Wesneski has worked primarily out of the long relief role and has looked much better. Despite allowing another hit to Contreras and walking Gorman with two outs, Wesneski also racked up two punchouts to avoid any damage. Apart from the early stages, the Cubs didn't have many scoring chances, but once the eighth inning rolled around, their offense started to show signs of life. It all started with a leadoff Christopher Morel single off of Andre Pallante to put the Cubs in business before the one-out walk from Ian Happ put a pair of runners on. Unfortunately, a pair of lineouts ended the inning, including one from Bellinger that looked to be extra bases off of the bat before it died. Following a scoreless inning from Adbert Alzolay, who allowed the first two men to reach, the Cubs had their work cut out for them as the hard-throwing Jordan Hicks came on to pitch the ninth. Nick Madrigal didn't let that affect his approach as he turned on the 100 MPH heater and banged it off the wall for a leadoff double. That set the stage for Yan Gomes, who looked to earn a walk shortly after, only to have a lousy call result in a strikeout a few pitches later. Madrigal would eventually reach third on a wild pitch before coming home on the Hoerner sacrifice fly as the Cubs were within 7-5. Down to their final out, Seiya Suzuki was the Cub's last hope, but it was Hicks who won that battle striking out Suzuki to end the game and the Cub's quest to get back to .500 this weekend. The Cubs had seven hits from seven different players, although most of their damage came in the first. Chicago will get the day off on Monday before opening a six-game homestand with the Phillies on Tuesday.
Huge hit from the Chicago Cubs!! 🔥#LondonSeries pic.twitter.com/EJenp2hTN6
