Chicago Cubs rally, but fall short in series-opening loss to Giants

A four-run eighth inning was not enough as the Chicago Cubs fell to the San Francisco Giants in Monday night’s series opener at Wrigley Field.

Despite outhitting their opponent 11-to-9, the Chicago Cubs failed to capitalize on a big opportunity in the eighth inning, dropping a tough 6-4 decision to the San Francisco Giants.

Trailing 6-0 entering the top of the eighth, it appeared the Cubs were headed to a shutout loss. Instead, the offense rallied. First, it was Javier Baez. The young infielder took San Francisco starter Ty Blach deep for a two-run shot, his seventh homer of the season.

After an Ian Happ pinch-hit triple, leadoff man Ben Zobrist followed suit, cranking a two-run blast of his own into the right-field seats, pulling the Cubs within two at 6-4. After pinch-hitter Jon Jay singled and Anthony Rizzo got hit by a pitch, Willson Contreras hit a hard grounder right to Brandon Crawford, who started the 6-4-3 inning-ending double play.

Chicago (22-21) did not score outside of that eighth inning. In fact, the team went just 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position for the entire night. A bright spot, however, can be found in Zobrist. The new leadoff man has now reached in 20-straight ballgames after getting off to a slow start.

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Rough start for Lackey

Cubs starter John Lackey struggled again, allowing five earned on seven hits in just five innings of work.

He struck out six and walked a pair, but also served up a pair of long-balls, including one to Joe Panic to lead off the ballgame.

Monday’s start marks the fourth time Lackey allowed more than four earned runs in nine outings this year.

The Cubs bullpen, meanwhile, was outstanding. Brian Duensing, Hector Rondon, Zac Rosscup and Carl Edwards Jr. allowed one run in four combined innings.

What Stood Out

Chicago racked up 11 knocks in the ballgame, but only one man had multiple hits. Zobrist tripled and also homered out of the leadoff spot, raising his average to .252.

For weeks, fans called for Kyle Schwarber‘s replacement atop the Chicago lineup. A veteran with a strong plate approach, Zobrist is an ideal candidate for the job. Should he keep up his production, then the Cubs’ lineup may look drastically better by the end of May.