Cubs Keep It Close, Fall 4-3 to Giants to Officially Drop Series

After two losses with great starting pitching, the Chicago Cubs desperately needed a win entering Wednesday. Justin Steele was great on Monday and Kyle Hendricks was incredible on Tuesday . With Hayden Wesneski on the bump on Wednesday, the Cubs needed the bats to show up and the bullpen to do their job to secure a win.

Tale of the Tape

The scoring got started in the second inning. Unlike Tuesday, the Cubs struck first. With Ian Happ and Christopher Morel on base, Pete Crow-Armstrong stroked a single to score Happ.

The 1-0 lead didn't hold for long, however. Michael Conforto smacked a two-run home run to give the San Francisco Giants the lead right back in the bottom of the second. David Villar hit a solo shot in the same inning to make it 3-1 Giants early.

The Cubs got one back in the top of the fourth. Miguel Amaya smacked a single into center field. With PCA on first base, the speedster scored all the way from first on the play to make it a 3-2 game.

The Cubs finally tied the game in the fifth inning. Seiya Suzuki hit his ninth home run of the season to make it a 3-3 score.

Despite Suzuki tying the game, it didn't last long. Luis Matos hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth to push the Giants back in front. Unfortunately, the Cubs couldn't get that one run back. Both starters gave up three runs and Drew Smyly finally gave up the winning run. Porter Hodge and Keegan Thompson were great at keeping the Giants off the board, but the bats never got it going later in the game.

The Cubs fell 4-3 and have officially dropped the series in San Francisco.

Nothing is Going Right

When the starting pitching is ok, the bats go quiet. When the bullpen is great, the bats can't rebound. When the bats and starting pitching are great, the bullpen blows it. This season has been a never-ending mess for the Cubs who fail to put it all together to collect wins.

The bats and bullpen have been the biggest contributors to the follies, but the whole team is not clicking together at the same time. The Cubs are actively looking to hang around as the season persists. That said, it could be too late when Jed Hoyer finalyl decides to pull the trigger on a potentially big trade that could turn things around.

As it stands, the Cubs could end up being soft sellers this season. Although they won't fully blow it up, there are clearly a lot of things that need to happen in order for this team to win games.

What's On Tap Next?

The Cubs and Giants wrap up their four-game set on Thursday. The 2:45 p.m. CDT first pitch will feature LHP Shota Imanaga for the Cubs and RHP Jordan Hicks for the Giants.

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