After two pitches and two home runs, the Cubs’ season fell further into the abyss.
That was the story Saturday at Wrigley Field, where the Cubs gave closer Craig Kimbrel a one-run lead in the ninth inning. Yadier Molina sent the first pitch of the inning 379 feet into the left-center field bleachers, and Paul DeJong sent the next pitch 440 feet to center.
The Cubs’ playoff chances seemingly vanished with those two swings. The 9-8 loss left them six games behind the division-leading Cardinals and 2 ½ behind the Brewers for the second wild-card spot, pending their game against the Pirates, with seven games to play.
Manager Joe Maddon had called this game, and each of the seven to come, “must-win” before the first pitch.
“Every one, in a singular fashion, are absolutely must-wins,” Maddon said before the Cubs’ fifth consecutive loss. “You really don’t want to give up any more ground right now.”
So much for that. Cubs fans booed Kimbrel after the ninth, knowing what those two at-bats meant for the season. Kimbrel also gave up the game-winning homer in the series opener Thursday.
“I felt like I made two competitive pitches like I wanted to, and they went out,” Kimbrel said. “It’s just frustrating. That’s the only thing I can say.”
The Cubs still have four games remaining against the Cardinals. They finish the season with a six-game trip to Pittsburgh and St. Louis. The Brewers finish their season against the Reds and last-place Rockies.
The Cubs held the lead three times before the fateful ninth. They took advantage of four walks to score three runs in the first. Nico Hoerner homered in the sixth to put the Cubs on top 6-5. Tony Kemp hit a two-run, pinch-hit homer in the seventh to retake the lead at 8-7.
Kemp’s home run seemed to provide the good fortune the Cubs sorely needed at this point of the season. He swung at strike three and returned to the batter’s box after a balk was called against pitcher Giovanny Gallegos. A hefty gust of wind then blew out, and Gallegos left a fastball over the plate for Kemp to drive into the center-field bleachers.
But not even Kemp’s first homer of the season was enough. Maddon brought injured shortstop Javy Baez in to hit with two outs in the ninth, but Baez struck out swinging to end the game.
“We just lost, you know? It’s tough,” Anthony Rizzo said. “Played a good game. Back and forth. A great Cubs-Cardinals game this late in the year. But it’s really unfortunate we lost. “
Cubs starter Jose Quintana lasted just 3 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and five runs. He now has failed to make it through four innings in each of his last three starts.
“We don’t have time to stop and think how we lost the game or whatever,” Quintana said. “We’re going to keep moving, keep playing hard. We still have seven games left, so we have a chance. We need to win, for sure.”
