Twists, turns and a 14-5 loss.
This game was a story in three parts. Al writes a full recap on every game. If you want to see a discussion of the entirety of this game, go there. I say this, because the game went 11 innings and I’ve been abundantly clear how much I dislike extra innings. This was a new number on the random number generator. Both teams threw a scoreless 10th. Unusual occurrence! Then Ryan Pressly belly flopped the 11th.
Eight batters faced, nine runs allowed. That’s singularly the worst line I’ve ever seen. I won’t dissuade anyone from wondering about Pressly’s health. We know he’s had work done and then he just couldn’t make this inning end. Cruel random number generator. That one might end up a trivia question some day.
Rewinding to the beginning, I thought this was a classic storyline. One we’ve essentially seen twice recently. First there was Aaron Nola. He had struggled mightily this year, way worse than even a diminishing skill set would likely express. He bounced back and stifled the Cubs. José Quintana had won all four of his starts. He didn’t find the fountain of youth. He was going to regress. And then Justin Verlander Tuesday night.
Then the second chapter of this game happened. Verlander tailed. The Cubs eventually posted three runs in five innings against the former ace. That was the start of a comeback from down 4-0 and 5-2. That culminated with Kyle Tucker driving in the tying run with two outs in the ninth inning.
The second chapter of this game was a lot of fun, even if took most of the game to unfold. The first chapter included another regression. Colin Rea being tagged for five runs, four earned. If you want to play the what if game, have fun with the cesspool that has been third base for the Cubs in 2025. Errors mount and homers don’t. I understand the decision tree that led the Cubs through this process. But it didn’t work. Not yet. And that increases the pressure for Matt Shaw to eventually breakthrough.
Moving along. I’m hoping the value of coming from behind outweighs the collateral damage from this one.
Pitch Count:
- Giants: 174, 11 IP, 47 BF
- Cubs: 204, 11 IP, 54 BF
These numbers are a disaster. One reason to hate extra innings, the excellent work of the Cubs bullpen in innings 6-10 are completely lost. Five scoreless, two hits, one walk. Then disaster. Rea’s pitch count wasn’t great and then Pressly threw 26 pitches in vain.
The Giants used seven pitches and the Cubs eight. Both bullpens face issues Wednesday afternoon on a quick turnaround. Gavin Hollowell didn’t throw, but he is one of the few pitchers who can be optioned. Julian Merryweather also didn’t pitch, but has struggled recently. The Cubs are going to be in a rough spot. They’ll need some length out of their starter.
Three Stars:
- Porter Hodge. The most depressing thing about the extra innings was Porter Hodge’s effective 10th inning being wasted.
- Miguel Amaya got the comeback going with a two-run homer.
- Kyle Tucker had a pair of singles and a walk. His RBI-single with two outs in the ninth gave the Cubs a legit chance to win this one.
Game 37, May 6: Giants 14, Cubs 5 (22-15)
Fangraphs
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
- Superhero: Kyle Tucker (.428). 2-4, BB, RBI
*4th largest positive WPA of the season to date.
- Hero: Porter Hodge (.305). IP, 4 BF, BB
- Sidekick: Justin Turner (.262). 1-1, RBI
THREE GOATS:
- Billy Goat: Ryan Pressly (-.499). 0 IP, 8 BF, 5 H, 9 R, 8 ER, BB, HBP (L 2-2)
*4th largest negative WPA of the season to date.
- Goat: Seiya Suzuki (-.291). 0-5
- Kid: Colin Rea (-.289). 5 IP, 24 BF, 8 H, 2 BB, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 K
WPA Play of the Game: Kyle Tucker’s game-tying, RBI-single in the ninth inning. (.415)
*Giants Play of the Game: Heliot Ramos doubled leading off the 11th for the Giants. (.191)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Yesterday’s Winner: Dansby Swanson received 182 of 276 votes
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)
The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.
- Kyle Tucker +19
- Shōta Imanaga +11
- Ian Happ +8
- Miguel Amaya +7
- Jameson Taillon +6
- Matt Shaw/Dansby Swanson/Michael Busch -7
- Seiya Suzuki -7.5
- Ben Brown/Julian Merryweather -8
Up Next: A big start for Ben Brown (3-2, 4.88, 31⅓ IP) in a tough spot. Robbie Ray (4-0, 3.05 38⅓ IP) starts for the Giants. The 33-year-old lefty has a 3.96 career ERA. This one isn’t necessarily ripe for regression.