Enhanced Box Score: Nationals 7, Cubs 5 - July 17, 2023
Another loss for the Cubs in another situation where you look at the match-up and you say: you simply cannot lose that game if you believe you can avoid a sell-off, much less contend. Can’t lose it. But they did.
Hope is running thin after that one. Not only because of the feeling of it, but just as a practical matter. There’s slim hope and there’s fool’s hope. With one more loss in this series, I think the only kind left is the latter.
How much did Mike Tauchman’s lineout in the 8th sting, by the way? Was that just me who jumped? The Cubs had put two on, they’d stolen second and third, so the tying run was at second. Tauchman, pinch hitting for Trey Mancini with two outs, lines it up the middle and it had that look of a single. Sometimes the camera fools you, but it just looked like a hit. I got so excited. But then the camera flipped to the outfield, and the damn center fielder had Tauchman positioned perfectly, charged, and made a running catch. Crushing.
The Cubs coulda-shoulda scored more runs and all that, but with five on the board – including two-run homers from Ian Happ and Patrick Wisdom – might’ve been enough to win it if the pitching and defense were there.
You are playing a near must-win game and you give up seven runs at home to a godawful Nationals team.
Drew Smyly’s deep ball troubles continued, and his slump has come at the worst possible time for the Cubs. He probably should’ve given up a couple fewer runs (Christopher Morel’s should’ve-been-error and Cody Bellinger losing one in the sky), and he actually did get a huge number of whiffs. But it’s still a lot of runs in not a lot of innings, and I’m just feeling frustrated. Daniel Palencia giving up his first big league dinger didn’t help.
Full box score.
Source: bleachernation.com
