Chicago Cubs have plenty of experience in torturous, extra-inning baseball

Chicago Cubs: Questionable decisions that would haunt the Cubs

With the bases loaded and the pitcher’s spot coming up, Joe Maddon had to decide between Jason Heyward or Kyle Schwarber. Maddon elected to go with Heyward, who struck out swinging, leaving the bases loaded.

The Cubs were running out of chances still trailing 1-0 in the eighth inning when Anthony Rizzo delivered a single. Maddon elected to have Terrance Gore pinch run for Rizzo. The speedster immediately stole second base. Javier Baez then delivered an RBI double, driving in Gore from second, tying the game at 1-1.

It was a costly run to score, however, as the Cubs lost Rizzo for the remainder of the game after using Gore to pinch run for him. Gore came to bat twice before the game ended, striking out both times. You never know, but those could have been two big spots to have Rizzo bat in, as opposed to a guy who can’t hit his weight.

The Rockies scored the game-winning run in the top of the 13th inning off Kyle Hendricks. They delivered three-straight, two-out singles, the final one coming from backup catcher Tony Wolters.

This was a heartbreaking loss for the Cubs as their offense just flat-out didn’t show up. Maddon attempted to pull out all the stops, using 23 players in the game. They even brought in a pair of starters in Cole Hamels and Hendricks in the defeat. In the end, though, it wasn’t enough.