Chicago Cubs: Takeaways from the team's Opening Night loss

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Apr 2, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; The Anheuser Busch Clydesdales run on the warning track prior opening night between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

A walk-off loss to the St. Louis Cardinals isn’t how the Chicago Cubs envisioned their return to the diamond as World Champions. Still, there’s a lot we can learn from Sunday’s NL Central showdown.

For much of the evening, it was the Carlos Martinez show. The hard-throwing right-hander dominated the Chicago Cubs’ lineup top-to-bottom. The only possible exclusion to that rule came in the form of leadoff man Kyle Schwarber.

Jon Lester gutted his way through a start that seemed to expose some unfamiliarity with his new receiver, Willson Contreras. As the two become more familiar, it’s likely we see more fluidity, but the first time out was rocky, at times.

One of the question marks for Joe Maddon‘s club is the relief corps. Given the fashion in which the Cubs lost the season opener, you can expect the doubters to come clamoring out of the woodwork.

The product on the field was not what we saw last October. The defense made a few questionable plays and the offense hadn’t looked that poor since the NLDS last postseason.

The simple takeaway is this: it was one game – so don’t put too much stock into what happened. That being said, here are some takeaways from the season opener.

Apr 2, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Carlos Martinez (18) pitches to Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras (40) during the fifth inning of opening night at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Free-swinging offense musters little in opener

Take away the ninth-inning blast from Contreras and this game leaves a very different taste in your mouth.

St. Louis starter Carlos Martinez was lights-out from the word ‘go.’ He struck out 10, pitching into the eighth before giving way to the bullpen. He mixed speeds, changed the eye level of his opponents and had his way with the powerful Cubs’ offense. Still, the trends we saw Sunday night can’t – and won’t – continue over the course of a season.

For starters, Chicago struck out a dozen times without drawing a single walk. Last season, the Cubs drew 656 base-on-balls, most in the big leagues. In the opener, the free-swinging tendencies once again took center stage, allowing the Cardinals to never face pressure.

Kris Bryant struck out three times, going 0-for-4 on the night. Time and time again, St. Louis blew fastballs past him at eye-level, enticing the reigning NL MVP to chase out of the zone. Plate discipline will make or break this entire team’s offense – so expect changes to be made quickly.

By contrast, St. Louis drew eight walks on the night. It seemed like Jon Lester tiptoed his way out of trouble in almost every inning – and the relievers did themselves no favors with the combined six walks they allowed, either.

Apr 2, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Randal Grichuk (15) celebrates after hitting a walk off single off of Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Mike Montgomery (not pictured) during the ninth inning on opening night at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Aside from Grichuk, clutch hits few-and-far-between

St. Louis outfielder Randal Grichuk ended the night with a pair of hits and three RBI, including the game-winner in the bottom of the ninth.

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The image of Grichuk racing to first with his fist raised in triumph is what will stick in the minds of Cubs’ fans – and probably Cardinals Nation, as well. But that image certainly doesn’t encapsulate the performance we saw from either team Sunday night.

Despite winning 4-3, the Cardinals went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position – with the lone knock coming in the form of Grichuk’s ninth-inning single. The big hit seemingly evaded St. Louis the entire night – unless Grichuk was at the plate.

His other two RBI came in the form of an opposite-field, two-run blast that, at the time, appeared to be the proverbial nail in the coffin. In the other dugout, the visiting Cubs couldn’t have felt a whole lot better.

Timely hits evade both teams

Chicago went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position, thanks to Contreras’ game-tying home run in the top of the ninth. The Cubs enjoyed a one-out, bases-loaded situation in the eighth that quickly got away from them.

Give some credit to Carlos Martinez and Jon Lester. Each did their job – and did it well. But these two clubs are too good to combine for a .118 mark with runners in scoring position.

Apr 2, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jon Lester (34) pitches to a St. Louis Cardinals batter during the first inning of opening night at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Expect more fluidity between Lester, Contreras

Make no mistake, Jon Lester didn’t pitch poorly on Sunday night.

His line tells you that much.

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He allowed just one earned run (that wouldn’t have scored had Javier Baez not lost a ball in signage behind home plate) and struck out seven over five-plus frames. Granted, a high pitch count forced him from the game earlier than he probably had hoped for, but, while he was on the mound, he gave his team a chance to win.

Lester was visibly frustrated at multiple times last night. As I pointed out in the recap of the game, it’s hard to tell whether he was mad at himself or at pitch-calling. But that’s exactly the point.

David Ross knew exactly when and how to calm down Lester. It’s a tall task for Contreras, entering his first full big-league campaign. Still, for the Cubs to have success in 2017, they’ll need to get on the same page – and quickly.

If they don’t, you could see a worn-down Lester come postseason time.

Next: Talking Cubs-Cardinals with ESPN's Aaron Boone

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Chicago Cubs: Takeaways from the team’s Opening Night loss