Cubs Offense Disappoints in Series Finale Loss to Marlins
The Chicago Cubs fell in the series finale to the Miami Marlins by a score of 3-1 on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field. The offense struggled for Chicago for the majority of the series, and while it did not result in a loss in either of the first two games, it finally came back to bite them in game three. So, although the Cubs did come away with a series win, there is a reasonable amount of skepticism regarding the team’s performance. Let’s recap how the Marlins salvaged the series finale.
Jameson Taillon was bitten by the home run ball once again as he surrendered three solo home runs, with two coming off the bat of Kyle Stowers and the other one from Agustín Ramírez. Other than those home runs, Taillon threw the ball very well. He struck out seven Miami hitters while walking zero, and he only surrendered one other hit besides the three solo blasts. Those three blasts would account for all of Miami’s scoring in the ballgame, but that is all that lefty Ryan Weathers would need. Weathers made his first start of the season in this game as he was coming back from injury, and he was fantastic in his season debut. He only gave up two hits in five innings pitched, with one earned run being a home run from Seiya Suzuki. His command was on point as well, as he only walked one Cub hitter while striking out five, which is impressive for it being his first start back from injury.
After Weathers departed from the game, the Marlins’ bullpen slammed the door shut over the last four innings. Four relievers pitched one inning, and the Cubs were only able to produce three combined hits against the Miami bullpen. While it is a disappointing end to the series, the Cubs should walk away feeling good that they were able to take two of three against a team they should have handled. Dansby Swanson continued to stay hot for the Cubs as well, as he tallied another hit in the lead-off spot, which is a major x-factor to Chicago’s success this season. The Cubs will look to find their offensive firepower again this weekend as they welcome in their crosstown rival, the Chicago White Sox, for a three-game weekend series.
