Top Play (WPA): Stop me if you’ve heard this story before. The Cubs, on the back of a fantastic performance from Jake Arrieta, entered the bottom of the eighth inning with a 2-1 lead. Pedro Strop was set to take the mound, and you could be forgiven for feeling good about the team’s chances, given the following:
#Cubs bullpen has been solid. Since May 23, combined 1.45 ERA and .193 batting average against, both tops in MLB
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) June 27, 2015
The Cardinals sent up Greg Garcia, who is very much your typical replacement level player, to pinch hit for reliever Kevin Siegrist to lead off the inning. After getting behind for a 3-1 count to Garcia, Strop threw a lazy 94-mph two-seam fastball right across the middle of the plate, and in a moment that seemed very much like the Cardinals, Garcia hit his first home run of his career (.360) to tie the game 2-2.
Bottom Play (WPA): Hector Rondon was electrifying in the ninth inning, taking the Cubs into extra innings with a chance to put this game in the win column. The Cubs looked to be putting together a rally, and as such, Jonathan Herrera stepped up to the plate with two outs and runners on first and second in the top of the 10th inning. Whatever your feelings may be regarding the state of the Cubs’ bench, most would agree that having Herrera up in such a crucial spot is far from ideal. Still, seeing as Baxter already had three hits on the night, it was easy to feel like just about anything could happen in that moment. Instead, Seth Maness set Herrera down without trouble, as he went down swinging (-.107).
Key Moment: Dexter Fowler came to the plate in the top of the fourth inning with two outs, the bases loaded, and the game tied at one. Fowler hadn’t started the last several games this week with a minor ankle sprain, and it was a relief to see him back in the lineup Friday night. It just feels right to have him manning center field. Fowler just barely missed a hit, as he lined out to second baseman Kolten Wong (-.088), squandering a great scoring chance. The game was like this all night, with the Cubs putting together 12 hits, three walks, and a variety of other hard contact that simply went nowhere. The Cardinals’ voodoo magic once again came through for them.
Trend to Watch: Before tonight, the Cubs’ bullpen had been on a roll. As mentioned earlier in the article, the Cubs had led the majors in bullpen ERA and batting average against since May 23rd. Justin Grimm has been especially effective, having recorded a 0.79 FIP prior to tonight’s appearance, and the run he gave up tonight was somewhat flukey, as he only gave up one hard-hit ball out of three recorded hits in the 10th inning. The bullpen looks to continue to be a strength, as Neil Ramirez is nearly done with his rehab assignment and should rejoin the team soon, enhancing the back-end relief options even more. Also, we’re not far away from that time of year when trade rumors start to rapidly pick up, so it’s entirely possible the Cubs will be involved in trade talks for a wide range of veteran relievers.
Coming Next: The Cubs (39-33) look to even up the series against the Cardinals (49-24) after last night’s devastating loss. The Cubs send Donn Roach out for his second career major-league start (2015 Debut) and the Cardinals call on Michael Wacha to take the mound (2.85 ERA, 3.24 FIP, 2.83 DRA).
Lead photo courtesy of Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports