1 October 2023
As the Chicago Cubs prepared to hit entering the top of the eighth inning Saturday night, a smattering of cheers among the 42,652 fans spread through American Family Field.
The Miami Marlins had just closed out a win in Pittsburgh, triggering the applause from Milwaukee Brewers fans who saw the final score pop up on the left-field out-of-town scoreboard. The Marlins’ victory eliminated the Cubs from postseason contention.
The Cubs’ 10-6 win Saturday fittingly encapsulated their last three weeks.
They built a 6-0 lead in the first inning thanks to Christopher Morel’s leadoff homer, Yan Gomes’ grand slam and Patrick Wisdom’s solo blast. What should have led to a desperately needed blowout win instead tested the Cubs’ resolve. Left-hander Jordan Wicks struggled to take advantage of the run support. The Brewers loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the first and put up three runs before Wicks could get out of the inning.
By the end of the second, the Brewers tied the game. Wicks was burned on two home runs — a two-run shot from Blake Perkins and Carlos Santana’s tying two-out homer that ended the rookie’s outing.
The Cubs (83-78) needed a win coupled with a Marlins loss to keep their playoff hopes alive. Ian Happ’s RBI single and Cody Bellinger’s RBI double in the fourth put the Cubs ahead 8-6, a lead they would hold the rest of the way. Alexander Canario added a run in the fifth with an RBI triple, and Gomes’ run-scoring groundout in the sixth completed their offensive night.
The double-digit scoring was too little, too late for an offense that at times came up short the last three weeks, especially with runners on base. The Cubs went from being in control of their postseason future to needing help, an unenviable position that ultimately did not go their way.
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