Chicago Cubs blow another lead – fall 7-4 to Cardinals

Cubs blow another lead to drop their fourth straight game

The Chicago Cubs had a three-run lead going into the bottom of the fifth inning with Kyle Hendricks still in the game looking for his first win on the season. A leadoff double by Kolten Wong followed by a hit by pitch to pinch hitter Peter Borjous, put two on the bases with one out for the St. Louis Cardinals leading hitter Matt Carpenter.

Carpenter made Hendricks pay with a three-run shot over the right field wall to tie the game up at four apiece.

In the sixth inning, Mark Reynolds came through for the first-place Cardinals in the second game in a row. Cubs relief pitcher Edwin Jackson with two on and one out delivered to pinch hitter Reynolds who hit a bullet into center field for a RBI double to put the Cardinals up 5-4.

Later in the sixth, Carpenter would knock in another insurance run on a sacrifice fly to left off Jackson to put the score at 6-4. James Russell came in to replace Jackson, who was promoted before the game to replace Chris Denorfia who was placed on the disabled list.

Russell would surrender another run on a RBI single by Wong to give the Cardinals a 7-4 lead. That is where the game would end as the Cardinals would come back from another sizeable deficit to win, this time by the score of 7-4.

The Cubs got behind early in the game when Yadier Molina scored Jhonny Peralta on a single to center field to give their newly promoted Tyler Lyons (0-0, 6.23 ERA) an early 1-0 lead. Chicago tied things up at 1-1 in the top of the third on a sacrifice fly by Jorge Soler, pushing Anthony Rizzo across to score.

The fifth inning was where it looked like the Cubs would bring the losing streak to an end. Addison Russell led off the inning with a double to left, while Dexter Fowler laid down a bunt to sacrifice Russell on to third that put him in position for the Bryant who drove him in on a line drive single. Soler followed that up with single to load the bases for

Soler followed that up with single to load the bases for Starlin Castro.

With the bases loaded, Lyons would get the hook. He would exit the game after pitching 4 1/3 innings – giving up six hits, four runs, three earned runs, two walks, and seven strikeouts. Cardinals reliever Seth Maness forced Castro into a ground out scoring Rizzo and with some heads up base running by Bryant, he’d score as well to give the Cubs the 4-1 lead.

The Cubs had another shot at tying up the game with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth with two out and Rizzo at the plate, but he’d hit into the defensive shift, grounding out to second to end the inning.

With the win, the Cardinals (20-6 ) have won eight straight and have created some more space in the N.L. Central, now with a 6 1/2 game lead. The Chicago Cubs (13-12) now has dropped four in a row and are struggling to find the magic they had before the last two series.

What Stood Out:

Kyle Hendricks (0-1, 5.61 ERA) continues to look for his first win on the 2015 season. He’d finish with a line of five innings pitched, six hits, four runs allowed, two walks, and one strikeout. He struggled early with his command and never really was able to consistently hit his mark. He is not an overpowering pitcher by any means so when he is not hitting the targets set for him, he will have rough outings.

Anthony Rizzo reached base four times in the game – going 3-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored.

Addison Russell finished the game with a 2-for-3 game with two long doubles with a walk and a run scored.

Edwin Jackson (1-1, 1.86 ERA) was the losing pitcher for the Cubs with his 2/3 of an inning pitched where he gave up four hits and two runs.

James Russell (0-0, 6.75 ERA) in his first game back with the Cubs finished with a line of 1 and 1/3 innings pitched, allowing two hits and a run scored.

What is Next:

Tomorrow is game three of the four game series between the Chicago Cubs (13-12) and the St. Louis Cardinals (20-6).

The Chicago Cubs will look to their veteran ace Jon Lester (1-2, 4.71 ERA) to stop the current four-game skid the Cubs find themselves in.

The Cardinals will counter with their veteran right-hander Lance Lynn (1-2, 3.07 ERA).

Both pitchers are coming off their best outings on the young season. For Lester, he picked up his first win as a member of the Chicago Cubs when he bested the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 last Friday at Wrigley Field where he worked seven innings while only allowing three hits.

Lynn, on the other hand, pitched a no decision game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he worked seven innings while striking out 10 Pirate batters and allowing just one run.

The first pitch is slated for 7:15 CT at Busch Stadium.

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