Wrigley
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Disappointing Loss for the Cubs
Last night's game against the Nationals was a tough pill to swallow for us Cubs fans. The final score of 5-1 in favor of Washington doesn't fully capture the missed opportunities and the sheer dominance of the Nationals' pitching staff.Early Innings Drama
We started strong defensively, with Miguel Amaya catching Luis García Jr. stealing second in the top of the 1st. However, our bats didn't wake up, with Ian Happ, Dansby Swanson, and Cody Bellinger all striking out in the bottom of the 1st.
In the 2nd inning, the Nationals struck first with a sacrifice fly from Ildemaro Vargas, bringing home Juan Yepez. We had a glimmer of hope when Michael Busch got hit by a pitch, but a double play quickly ended that.
Nationals Break It Open
The 6th inning was truly where the game slipped away. Kyle Hendricks started struggling, loading the bases with no outs. After a sacrifice fly from Keibert Ruiz, our bullpen couldn't stop the bleeding. Joey Gallo crushed a three-run homer, making it 5-0. Ouch.
A Flicker of Hope
Patrick Wisdom gave us a brief moment of excitement with a solo homer in the bottom of the 7th, but it was too little, too late. None of our other hitters could get anything going; they either grounded out or struck out, as in the case of Luis Vazquez and Nico Hoerner.Can't Find the Offense
From the 8th inning onward, our guys couldn't figure out the Nationals' bullpen. Ian Happ and Pete Crow-Armstrong both grounded out easily, and Swanson's single in the 9th was just a whisper against a resounding Nationals' lead.Final Thoughts
It was definitely a frustrating game to watch, especially when you know the potential we have. The Nationals played well, but we had our chances and just couldn't capitalize. Let's hope the Cubs can turn it around in the next game and give us something to cheer about!
Go Cubs!
Scoreboard for Nationals @ Cubs (September 21st, 2024)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 0 |