Alex Bregman crushed two home runs on Friday night, yet the Chicago Cubs still fell 6-5 to the Seattle Mariners in 10 innings. The box score looks like a win for the offense, but the result tells a different story. Bregman did everything asked of him, launching a two-run shot in the first and a game-tying blast in the ninth. Despite his heroic efforts, the lineup’s inability to get a hit in 16 opportunities with runners in scoring position could not be resolved. That specific failure is the only reason the game ended in a loss column.
The RISP Problem Is Real
It’s hard to win when you leave eleven runners on base.
The team racked up 12 hits and four homers, which should have produced double-digit runs. Instead, the offense stalled whenever the pressure was on. Bleed Cubbie Blue reported that the Cubs’ 1 for 16 with runners in scoring position marked their worst single-hit performance this season. They had similar struggles in April against the Pirates and May against Texas, but this time the margin for error was zero. The Mariners capitalized on every mistake while the Cubs couldn’t drive in the key runs needed to close it out. Why does this keep happening?
Pete Crow-Armstrong led off the game with a home run, his seventh of the season, tying a franchise record for leadoff blasts. He matched Dexter Fowler by establishing the club record for leadoff home runs within a single year. Even with that spark, the team couldn’t convert the opportunities that followed. The Mariners scored four runs in the second inning off Matthew Boyd, turning a 3-0 lead into a deficit. Boyd settled down later, but the damage was done before he could regain control.
Extra Innings Are a Trap
The game went to extras, and the Cubs failed to score in the top of the 10th. Ryan Zeferjahn took the loss after allowing a walk-off single to Leo Rivas. The Cubs have won 13 walk-off games this year, but they also suffered their seventh extra-inning loss. As noted by Bleed Cubbie Blue, the Cubs lead MLB with 11 extra inning wins, yet they keep finding ways to lose the close ones. The special rule for the extra inning wasn’t in play, and the Mariners used a sacrifice and an RBI single to seal the deal.
Matthew Boyd had an uneven start, and the bullpen didn’t get the win they needed. Boyd and Clay Holmes require six weeks of tuning by the Cubs before the postseason. The team needs to fix their execution with men on base before the playoffs start. If they can’t score with runners in scoring position, no amount of heroics from Bregman will save them in a tight series.
The Final Reality Check
The loss drops the Cubs six games back of the National League Central-leading Brewers. The team leads the NL Wild Card field, but the gap in the division is growing. Alex Bregman proved he’s a superstar who can hit a ball out of the park at any moment. Yet, the team as a whole must learn to finish games. Bleed Cubbie Blue stated that the Cubs lost this game primarily because they couldn’t hit with runners in scoring position.
