Takeaways From Chicago Cubs Loss Against Brewers
On a chilly day at Wrigley Field on Saturday, the Chicago Cubs dropped a 3-1 ballgame to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Justin Steele got the ball and pitched over six strong innings. The 27-year-old lefty allowed only three hits, no runs, and fanned eight batters.
Ian Happ provided the only offense for the Cubs on Saturday, smacking a solo shot to deep right field in the sixth inning after a nine-pitch at-bat.
The bullpen was unable to preserve the narrow lead, allowing three runs in the eighth inning. The Cubs tried it make it interesting in the bottom of the ninth inning, but ultimately fell to 1-1 on the 2023 MLB season.
Steele continues dominance over Brewers
Following Marcus Stroman's outing on Thursday, Justin Steele put up a goose egg to keep the Cubs' starting rotation perfect through the first two games of the year.
The latter's only blemishes on the day were a first inning single, a third inning double, and a fifth inning single.
Steele did a tremendous job of keeping Milwaukee off balance, throwing 57 of his 84 pitches for strikes. He primarily utilized his slider and four-seam fastball, generating 13 swings and misses combined.
The Lucedale, Miss., native had a 2.03 ERA in six starts against Milwaukee in 2022, so Steele's numbers will certainly improve.
It's a good start for the lefty in his second full season, especially with the arm fatigue he dealt with in Spring Training.
Walk haunts Assad
Javier Assad had a fantastic spring, split between the Cubs and Team Mexico at the World Baseball Classic, earning a spot in the bullpen out of camp.
Taking over for Steele in the seventh, the 25-year-old was excellent. Assad made quick work of the Brewers, striking out two of the three batters he faced.
However, he ran into trouble after allowing a leadoff single to Brian Anderson. Garrett Mitchell was showing bunt to advance Anderson into scoring position. But Assad walked him on four straight pitches.
The very next batter, Jesse Winker, lined an RBI-single into center field tying the game at one run apiece.
Tough reality of versatility
There's no question that the Cubs have one of the most versatile rosters in the National League.
Perhaps almost to a fault.
Miles Mastrobuoni came in as a defensive replacement in right field on Saturday, a position he received just 24 appearances in with the Tampa Bay Rays Triple-A outfit last year and eight appearances in Double-A in 2021.
With the bases loaded in the eighth, Michael Fulmer struck out Christian Yelich, and it looked like the Cubs were going to escape the jam that Assad started.
However, William Contreras lined a looping single into right field that landed in front of Mastrobuoni. With the game on the line and someone with more experience at the position, there's a good chance they dive and make a play for that ball.
Mastrobuoni looked uncomfortable and fielded it off one bounce, but the damage had been done, driving in two runs.
The Cubs and Brewers will finish up their series on Sunday, with first pitch set for 1:20 pm CT.
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