After two straight wins, the real Chicago Cubs stood up and made it known that the ailments they have had all season are still alive and well. Saturday's game was not pretty at all.
Kyle Hendricks once again was showing his age to the point where he even left his start early. The offense was nonexistent with its' key contributors doing nothing on the base paths.
With one more game left against the Angels, the odds do not appear to be in the favor of a series win.
Tale of the Tape
Right out of the gate, it was not looking good for the Cubs in this game. With the first three runners on base, Kyle Hendricks hit Logan O'Hoppe to put the Angels up 1-0.
Thanks to an incredible double play from Seiya Suzuki, the Cubs were able to limit what could have been an even worse inning.
Getting past the 1st inning with only one run coming home was a victory itself for this team. It's too bad that the offense couldn't do much to counteract the terrible pitching.
The Cubs were only able to tally 4 hits of Angels pitching. Starter Tyler Anderson was in firm control with 10 strikeouts over 8 innings of work. It was pretty embarrassing for an offense that was showing all the signs of a potential breakout over the past couple of days.
Of their 4 hits, Nico Hoerner was responsible for two of them. If there is any positives in this it's that the second baseman was seeing the baseball well. The same could not be said for most of his teammates.
Kyle Hendricks left his start after 2 innings due to "back tightness." With Justin Steele's incredible performance on Friday, the Cubs were fortunate to have their bullpen fully rested.
Not being at 100%, why would the Cubs even entertain Hendricks starting in this game? With all of the injuries that they have gone through, it definitely wasn't wise to tempt fate with a pitcher who hasn't been great for most of the season.
Takeaways
This game was an utter embarrassment for the Cubs. It's further evidence that they still don't have enough for a run towards the postseason if they are trotting out an injured Kyle Hendricks to the mound, that says a lot about how bad their depth is at Triple-A Iowa.
After using 5 other pitchers from the bullpen, it will be a challenge for the Cubs in Sunday's finale. Even against the lowly Angels, it's not a given that this series can be won. To be shut out by one of the worst teams in baseball is an embarrassing look for a team that continues to sink to new lows.
What's on Tap Next?
Looking to get the bad taste out of their mouths, the Cubs will look to finish this series on a high note. Hayden Wesneski will toe the rubber against Angels' pitcher Jose Soriano. First pitch is at 1:20 PM CDT on Marquee Sports Network.
