Faithful, Too: “Games 66L, 67W, 68L”

You lose some, you win some, you lose some.

Let’s start on Friday, game one of the Cubs only visit to Philly this (regular) season. Here are the highlights:

• For the first time this season, Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler gave up a first-inning home run. It was to Kyle Tucker, who went on to strikeout in top of the 6th to give Wheeler his 1,000th career strikeout.
• Ian Happ hit a homer from the right side of the plate in the top of the 8th and in the bottom of the inning threw out Phillies’ right fielder Nick Castellanos trying to stretch a single into a double.
• In the bottom of the 9th, Counsell got tossed for arguing that a Phillie was out of the basepath when an attempt to throw him out was made. It was the second game in a row in which Counsell was ejected. He’s only been thrown out of 33 games in a total of 1,559 coached; once every 47 games.
• After Shaw, Happ, and Tucker failed to score Nico in the top of the 10th, the Phillies also failed to score, leading to a much more successful 11th for the Cubs who scored a run on a PCA double to take a 3-2 lead. He would go to third on a wild pitch that set-up a much easier insurance run with only one out. Sadly, Dansby struck out (a lot of that lately) and Buschy grounded out.
• Ever since that disastrous Marlins outing, Daniel Palencia has been lights out. The lights were definitely back on for his Monday night game. It happened rather fast. Castellanos (who started on second base) scored on a single from J.T. Realmuto. Back-to-back perfect sacrifice bunts that turned into singles followed, then Brandon Marsh hit a long, long fly ball to center that scored the winning run. Cubs lost 4-3. I had not-so-good vibes throughout the game (which I sadly watched most of).

Should also mention that Matthew Boyd was awesome yet again; going six innings and only giving up one run.

Game two was much, much better. Missed most of this one because we wanted to actually get out of the house last night while the weather was so nice. Continued my re-re-re-read of The Stand for our #SummerOfStand, and at the end of each chapter I’d check in on the Cubbies. It was 4-3 Phillies when we laid down to read at the park. A chapter later it was 5-4 on Happy’s second homer of the game (remember when I said he needed to get hot?). It all maintained and by the time we got home, I saw the Cubs had broken it open. I needed to know how so I re-wound my Marquee stream of the game and watched a double and a couple singles (newbie McGuire, Tucker, Suzuki, respectively) to make it 8-4. Ryan Pressly came in to finish things off in the 9th, including a great, great barehanded retrieval from Shaw to toss out a guy at first. His defense has been as impressive as his offense since coming back from the minors. Pressly continues to impress(ly), as well.

As for today’s game, dear reader, I’m afraid Ben Brown’s Hyde to his Jekyll has returned once more. No was harmed, though Ben’s ego was surely bruised. Didn’t watch or listen to one second of this one (too busy at work) but the box score told me all I needed to know. Brown didn’t get through the 6th, giving up six runs on eight hits and three walks in the Cubs’ 7-2 loss. I’m beginning to think that Brown is the one that needs to be sent back to the minors and not Horton once Shota comes back. Hell, I’m thinking it now.

After losing in two tough series to two solid teams (don’t let the Phillies recent slide fool you) the Cubs return to Wrigley to play not three, but four games against the woeful Pirates. Sure they’ve won 6 of 10, but I’m counting on at least three Cubbie wins if not an outright sweep. Schedule doesn’t easier after this weekend. Let’s bounce back after a tough trip.