Cubs News: What to make of Alec Mills’ rough start Wednesday

Chicago Cubs: It was a very rough go for Alec Mills against the rival Cardinals Wednesday and one that hopefully does not start a trend.

The Cubs were pretty much out of the game in the first inning in their game one DH Wednesday against the Cardinals. Alec Mills, the starter, gave up a grand slam to Matt Carpenter before even recording an out. Though the Cubs did manage to keep the game somewhat close in the middle innings, they never got back into it, and the Cardinals eventually blew it open and won 9-3.

Mills had far and away his worst outing of the season, going 3 2/3 innings and giving up six earned runs on seven hits and two walks on 86 pitches. Even his outs were mostly hard contact and he only whiffed one batter. This was the first time he did not go at least six innings this year.

Not every start is going to be great for every pitcher, and the Cardinals have the ability annoyingly grind away and put up runs even if the lineup is not as star-studded as it once was. It seems like the logical thing to say it was a bad outing and move on to the next game. Is there, however, more to this than meets the eye? Let’s dive into some numbers.