Chicago Cubs Recap: Cubs suffer first loss of the season on walk-off single by Tomas

On the day, the Chicago Cubs received word that outfielder Kyle Schwarber would miss the remainder of the 2016 season, they suffered their first loss. Dropping to 3-1 to start the year, the Cubs failed to drive in runs with base hits. On the other hand, Jason Hammel looked great on the mound.

Yesterday, the Chicago Cubs (3-1) drove in 14 runs without Schwarber recording a hit. This time around, the North Siders had a tough time driving in runs with base hits. In fact, both runs came via a bases loaded walk and a fielder’s choice all in the third inning of the ballgame.

Center fielder Dexter Fowler continued to swing a hot bat by leading off the game with a single to left field. He would finish the game 2-for-3 with a walk, raising his batting average and OPS up to .600/1.751 through four games. Fowler was the only Cub who had more than one hit as five out of the 10 who made plate appearances were unable to record a single hit of their own.

Right-hander Jason Hammel (0-0, 1.50 ERA) pitched extremely well today, holding the Diamondbacks (2-3) to one earned runs on four hits, three walks, and six strikeouts in six innings of work. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt had a huge impact on this game by bringing his team within one during the bottom of the sixth.

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Chicago had the opportunity to drive in another run back in the top of the fifth but ended up running themselves into a key double-play. Fowler led off the inning with his second double of the season out to right field and moved over to third on a single by Jason Heyward.

Following a Ben Zobrist strikeout for the first out of the inning, first baseman Anthony Rizzo stepped into the batter’s box with a shot at driving in yet another run.

Rizzo finished last night tying a career-high of six RBI in one game including a three-run homer in the ninth. Things didn’t necessarily go his way. On the third pitch of the at-bat, Rizzo chopped a pitch to first base.

Goldschmidt made a heads-up play by throwing over to Welington Castillo who then caught Fowler in a run-down. As soon as Fowler was tagged for the second out, shortstop Nick Ahmed threw across the diamond to David Peralta who made the tag on Rizzo at first.

Ahmed made several spectacular defensive plays that could have easily resulted in hits. We’ll fast-forward to the bottom half of the ninth with Trevor Cahill on the mound after Pedro Strop gave up the tying run in the eighth.

Next: Schwarber tears ACL, LCL; Out for season

Castillo, the former Cub, put himself on base as the winning run on base following a one-out single. Arizona had Chris Owings enter the game as a pinch-runner and it paid off when Yasmany Tomas drilled, what appeared to be a ball, out to left field to win the game.

Next, up for the Cubs, we’ll see Kyle Hendricks going head-to-head with former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke. Greinke’s earned run average currently sits at 15.75 but he’s still a dangerous man on the mound.