Chicago Cubs can’t pull out back and forth battle with Diamondbacks

After several rain delays, the Chicago Cubs couldn’t pull out the victory as the Arizona Diamondbacks left with the series win. The comeback was impressive thanks to Willson Contreras, but the D-backs’ Paul Goldschmidt trumped his performance.

The Chicago Cubs waited through the rain, the Arizona Diamondbacks barrage, some more rain..and then they were ready to play some baseball. The Cubs came back on two separate occasions to take the lead, but neither would last. After Jose Quintana had got off to a slow start in the first inning, the rain began to fall in the second.

The Cubs trailed the D-backs 6-2 entering the sixth inning, but Willson Contreras came up with his second home run of the day, a three-run shot to close the gap to 6-5. In the seventh, the Cubs loaded the bases once again for Contreras–and he delivered once more. A two-run single up the middle made it 7-6 as the Cubs would turn it over to the pen.

More from Cubbies Crib

• Cubs should keep close eye on non-tender candidate Cody Bellinger
• Cubs starting pitching has been thriving on the North Side
• Make no mistake: the Cubs are very much about power hitters
• Cubs are giving pitcher Javier Assad a deserved shot
• Cubs: It’s time to start thinking about potential September call-ups

The Cubs’ Carl Edwards was bitten by the base-on-ball bug again, walking the only two batters he faced in the eighth inning. Newly acquired Justin Wilson came into the game and once again struggled for the Cubs. He did allow any earned runs, but e did allow the two runs to score for the D-backs as they took the 8-7 lead.

The Cubs were able to battle back to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth when Jon Jay beat out a potential double play that allowed the tying run to score, knotting it up at 8-8. But after another rain delay, that was the cue for the D-backs Paul Goldschmidt to do his thing.

With Wade Davis on the mound in a non-save situation, he surrendered Goldschmidt’s third–and another to J.D. Martinez that put the game away with a 10-8 final. It was the third home run Davis has allowed as a Cub, matching the total he posted with the Royals in over 200 innings. It was also the first relief appearance that David allowed multiple home runs in an outing.

Next: Cubs release Anderson

The Cubs will start a three-game series tomorrow with the Washington Nationals, who lead the NL East by 12 games. Kyle Hendricks (4-3, 3.80) will face Tanner Roark (8-7, 4.93) in the opener.