Chicago Cubs: Five key takeaways from series with Indians
By Ryan Sikes
A couple of tough losses for the Chicago Cubs against the Cleveland Indians. Here were five takeaways from the two-game set.
The Chicago Cubs came away with no wins in their two-game series with the Cleveland Indians in what was generally a matchup of good pitching from both the starters and relievers, to go along with timely hitting. The Cubs have played a lot of tight ballgames lately, losing by a final score of 3-2 on Tuesday and losing on Wednesday 2-1.
In fact, if you look back at the Cubs’ last ten games, nine of their last ten games have been decided by one run.
Jason Heyward noted over the weekend the importance for the Cubs to learn how to win these tight ballgames.
“I think it’s very big,” Heyward said after Saturday’s win over the Pirates. “They’re not easy games to win. It’s nice to be able to pull those victories out, and gain some trust, whether it’s the pitching staff or the offense. I think it’s good to have that experience, and it’s good to gel that way.”
Here were my five takeaways from the Cubs’ two-game set against the Indians.
1. Cubs had Shane Bieber on the ropes and let him off
Against one of the game’s best pitchers, the Chicago Cubs looked like they were going to make Shane Bieber‘s outing on Tuesday night a short one. After Anthony Rizzo led the inning off with a double, Willson Contreras hit a slow chopper up in the middle and into centerfield, plating the Cubs first baseman.
As a side note, it was good to see Contreras get a base knock, as the Cubs catcher went 1-for-17 on the homestand.
The visitors proceeded to load the bases with the potential to really open the floodgates. Instead, Ildemaro Vargas struck out, and Eric Sogard bounced into an inning-ending double play. Speaking of Sogard, he would plate the Cubs’ only other run of the game, a towering home run in the fifth inning.