San Francisco Giants Jorge Soler (left) celebrates with Mike Yastrzemski (right) after scoring on a Curt Casali two run double in the top of the fifth inning at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Tue Jun 18, 2024 (AP News photo)
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Wrigley Field
Chicago, Illinois
San Francisco Giants 2 (36-38)
Chicago Cubs 5 (35-39)
Win: Tyson Miller (1-0)
Loss: Tyler Rogers (0-2)
Save: Keegan Thompson (1)
Time: 2:10
Attendance: 36,297
By Stephen Ruderman
The Cubs scored three runs off the usually-reliable Tyler Rogers in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat the Giants 5-2 on a solemn and hauntingly-beautiful Tuesday night at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
After Thairo Estrada’s three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning led the Giants to a 7-6 comeback win last night in the opener of this series, the Giants looked to build off their momentum and get their third-straight win behind their ace, Logan Webb, tonight. However, with a strong wind blowing out to center field, Webb would be in for a challenge.
Left-hander Justin Steele made the start for the Cubs, and he got his night started with a 1-2-3 top of the first inning. Webb started his night the same way in the bottom of the first.
Steele pitched a scoreless top of the second, and after Ian Happ singled up the middle with one out in the bottom of the second, Dansby Swanson hit a home run out into the wind in right-center to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead.
Steele pitched another scoreless inning in the top of the third, and Webb ran into a bit of two-out trouble in the bottom of the third. Michael Busch lined a base-hit to left, and Cody Bellinger singled him over to third base. Webb was then able to get Seiya Suzuki to fly out to left to end the inning.
Steele and Webb both pitched 1-2-3 innings in the fourth, but during the inning, a bigger story began to transcend Tueday night’s game.
As the game went to the bottom of the fourth, it was announced that Willie Mays, arguably the greatest player in Baseball History, had died this afternoon at the age of 93. This news came just two days before the Giants are set to play the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field, the first major league ballpark that Mays called home.
After the news was announced, a beautiful sunset encompassed Wrigley Field, and the sun lit the clouds above the ballpark orange. As the winds continued to blow out to center field while the Giants played the Cubs at Wrigley Field, one of only three remaining major league ballparks that Willie Mays played at, you couldn’t help but think that the Baseball Gods had painted that entire picture as the great Willie Mays became one with them.
Meanwhile, back on the field, the Giants tied the game in the top of the fifth. Jorge Soler led off the inning with a walk, and Mike Yastrzemski walked with one out to put runners at first and second for Curt Casali, who shot a double into the gap in left-center to tie it.
It was now 2-2, and the Cubs were threatening to retake the lead in the bottom of the fifth, as they loaded the bases against Webb with two outs. Suzuki ended up flying out to left, and Webb was able to get out of it without any damage.
After Justin Steele pitched another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the sixth, and as Steele and the Cubs left the field, a moment of silence was held under the orange sunset at Wrigley.
Webb settled down and threw 1-2-3 innings in the bottom of the sixth and seventh, and he ended up having a strong outing despite the conditions at Wrigley. Webb gave up two runs and six hits, while walking one and striking out five over seven innings.
Steele ended up going six two-thirds innings, and he gave up two runs and four hits, while walking two and striking out eighth. Tyson Miller struck Casali out swinging to close out the top of, and Miller pitched a 1-2-3 top of the eighth.
Tyler Rogers, who’s usually quite dominant, came in for the bottom of the eighth, but he had one of those innings where everything exploded on him.
Busch lined a double to right to start the inning, and Bellinger knocked in Busch with a base-hit the other way to left to put the Cubs back ahead 3-2. Suzuki singled Bellinger over to third and stole second, and Ian Happ grounded a base-hit to right to score Bellinger and make it 4-2. Rogers walked David Bote to load the bases, and Bob Melvin brought in Luke Jackson.
Christopher Morel was now at the plate, and he nicked in Happ with an infield hit to short. The Cubs had now scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to take a 5-2 lead.
Cubs’ closer Hector Neris, who blew the save last night, did not come in for the top of the ninth. Instead, Craig Counsell opted for Keegan Thompson, who closed out the game with a 1-2-3 inning.
Tyson Miller got the win; Tyler Rogers took the loss; and Keegan Thompson picked up his first save of the season.
The Giants will try to take the series against the lone remaining player from the Cubs’ world championship team of 2016, Kyle Hendricks (0-4, 8.20 ERA). It will be hot Wednesday, and if the wind blows out again at Wrigley, with Hendricks’ season, the Giants will be in a good position to win the series.
First pitch will be at 1:20 p.m. in Chicago, 11:20 a.m. back home in San Francisco.
Sports Radio Service 