Riding high after Sunday’s victory in Kansas City, the Chicago Cubs looked to continue their winning ways against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday. But those hopes were dashed in a rough 7-1 loss to their division rivals.
With Jameson Taillon trade rumors circulating, it was surprising to see him take the mound on Monday. His performance against the Reds left much to be desired.
After two games of dominant offense, the Cubs’ bats were all mostly quiet in the series. Friday’s game against the Royals was a similar story, but things changed moving forward. The hope here is that the Cubs can get their offense going once again.
Tale of the Tape
It was a slow bleed for the Cubs on Monday. There were some early highlights thanks to a great catch from Seiya Suzuki in the outfield. Unfortunately, the good times ended there as the Reds’ offense erupted.
Will Benson’s solo homer put the Cubs in an early hole.
New career high in homers for @_thekidbilly_‼️ pic.twitter.com/MNm6AcM0n2
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 29, 2024
Down 2-0, the ugliness continued on a wild pitch from Taillon to gift the Reds another run. It’s become common for the Cubs to suffer from self-inflicted wounds.
Taillon tossed 4.1 innings and allowed six earned runs before departing. His ugly stat line was a departure from his recent performance level.
Terry trottin’ @TjFriedl1 pic.twitter.com/AUn4bXYufH
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 30, 2024
Jorge Lopez entered in relief and did his job. New Cubs hurler Nate Pearson was decent, but an interesting ejection became the story of his team debut. Manager Craig Counsell got tossed alongside Pearson.
As a controllable arm out of the bullpen, there’s reason for optimism surrounding Pearson. He’ll look to join the likes of Mark Leiter Jr. and Julian Merryweather as Cubs’ bullpen success stories.
As questionable as it was for Taillon to make this start, the Cubs’ use of Drew Smyly was more puzzling. It remains to be seen if Smyly will be traded, but seeing him pitch on Monday makes it seem as if he won’t be going anywhere.
Nate Pearson was ejected from tonight’s game after hitting Tyler Stephenson.
Craig Counsell was ejected as well. pic.twitter.com/mDtDNKL5qQ
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) July 30, 2024
Down 7-0 in the ninth inning, Michael Busch delivered a home run to avoid a shutout loss.
The Cubs’ season is pretty much over. If they can avoid embarrassment, that will be a plus for team morale moving forward.
Takeaways
There aren’t many positives to take from Monday’s game. The Cubs’ ineffective offense and sloppy defense have plagued them all the season.
Newly acquired third baseman Isaac Paredes wasn’t in the lineup, so it’s hard to gauge just how much better the group can be yet. Seeing Jed Hoyer make moves that involve controllable talent is the best thing for the health of the organization moving forward.
Keeping Christopher Morel around would’ve muddied the water for his development and the Cubs’ roster outlook. With Paredes, they’ll be getting an upgrade on both sides of the baseball.
What’s On Tap Next?
After a disappointing start to the series, the Cubs will look to win out the remainder of the games in Cincinnati. Justin Steele will toe the slab Tuesday as the Reds remain without a starter as of this writing. Frankie Montas was Cincinnati’s original probable starter, but he was recently traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. Tuesday’s first pitch is at 6:10 PM CT and the game will air on Marquee Sports Network.
