It was a wild capper to a wild weekend in Texas for the Chicago Cubs, but unfortunately for the North Siders they were once again on the losing end of an 11-10 slugfest in the Lone Star State Sunday.
Pedro Strop threw a wild pitch in the ninth inning, allowing Joey Gallo to score the game-winning run and to put the Cubs at 1-2 after their first series of the young season.
Kyle Schwarber hit his second home run in as many days, and Ben Zobrist and Anthony Rizzo each had a pair of runs batted in, but it wasn’t enough as the Rangers’ offense once again torched the Cubs’ bullpen for a big comeback late.
Only one Cubs pitcher managed to avoid giving up a run in the game, as Tyler Chatwood, Mike Montgomery, and Strop combined to allow six earned runs in three-plus innings of work.
For the second day in a row, the Cubs got off to a good start offensively, as they built up a 4-0 lead in the first four innings of the game. The Rangers immediately erased that lead however, as Delino DeShields launched a grand slam to left field in the bottom of the fourth, giving Texas a 5-4 lead.
The Cubs managed to battle back in the sixth, scoring four more runs to retake the lead. Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist, and Anthony Rizzo all collected RBI singles in the inning, and by the time Javier Baez reached base on an infield single, the Cubs had built up an 8-5 lead.
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Over the next two innings, Texas stormed back again and retook the lead, with Asdrubal Cabrera landing the big blow with a two-run home run to left field that put Texas ahead 10-8.
The Cubs tied things up in the top of the eighth, as Rizzo launched a mammoth solo home run, and Daniel Descalso hit an RBI single to knot things up at 10-10.
In the ninth, Gallo nearly won the game for Texas, hitting a double off the left field wall, and after advancing to third on a groundout he scored on a wild pitch by Strop to give Texas the game, and series, victory.
The Cubs will now head to Atlanta to take on the Braves Monday night, with Kyle Hendricks set to take the ball for the North Siders. First pitch is slated for 6:10 p.m.
