Cubs suffer a tough loss after another blown save by Héctor Neris
Source: The New York Times
Author: Sahadev Sharma
CHICAGO -- It's been a while since the Cubs could say that their offense produced multiple clutch hits in a game, let alone one inning. But that happened Monday night as Seiya Suzuki ripped a double in the seventh inning to tie the game at three with the San Francisco Giants. Ian Happ followed with a three-run shot and suddenly it seemed like things were turning for an offense in disarray.
But then everyone was reminded that this team has another flawed unit: the bullpen. In came the struggling Héctor Neris to hold a 6-4 lead in the ninth. Neris retired the first batter, but then Jorge Soler reached on catcher's interference, Mike Yastrzemski walked on five pitches and Thairo Estrada jumped on a first-pitch heater, barely sending it into the left-field bleachers.
It gave the Giants a 7-6 lead and eventually the win as the Cubs (34-39) fell a season-low five games under .500.
"We had the catcher's interference, the walk and frankly that's a fly ball," manager Craig Counsell said of Neris' ninth. "It's the wrong night to give up fly balls and that's three runs. I think if you really ask me to evaluate Héctor's performance, the walk is the only bad at-bat."
To be fair to Counsell, the wind was blowing out at 13 mph on the evening and the ball Estrada hit had an expected batting average of .050 according to Statcast. Still, on this night it was a home run and that's all that matters.
Neris had a 2.63 ERA in his first 25 appearances but pretty rough peripherals, including a 16.5 percent walk rate. But there were some positive signs early in June that perhaps he was locking it in and his good luck would lead to more good results with stronger peripherals to back it up.
But then he gave up four runs, including a walk-off three-run homer, when blowing a save against the Tampa Bay Rays on June 11. The next night he barely held on in the ninth, allowing one run while given a two-run cushion. Then on Monday, he failed to cover a two-run lead in a game where his offense finally gave the team what should have been enough to win.
Neris now has a 4.73 ERA with a 16.5 percent walk rate. If he were striking out more guys, perhaps he could survive with the walk rate. But right now his strikeout rate is at 19.8 percent. His previous career low was 26.2 percent.
Would Counsell consider going in another direction in save situations going forward?
"Look, we got a bullpen and we gotta find guys to get outs," Counsell said. "Héctor's been a guy that's been reliable for us. So I wouldn't anticipate doing that. We're going to always examine the best way to get 27 outs every day. We're going to need Héctor to be a part of that."
Neris is a veteran reliever who has handled late-inning work for much of his time in the big leagues and has 99 career saves. He's the type of pitcher who can handle any situation and doesn't lose his cool with runners on base -- even if he is the one who usually puts them there. His experience is a big reason why the Cubs paid him $9 million this past winter. He's a leader in the bullpen and in the clubhouse in general. As usual, he was prepared to talk to the media after a tough outing.
Neris said he tried to get Yastrzemski to swing at some pitches he thought he would put on the ground to induce a double play after Soler had reached. Instead, Yastrzemski was incredibly patient and laid off a pair of splitters after falling behind 0-1, then Neris missed with two heaters.
"Next guy, he's one pitch swing," Neris said. "He did the job. (Made) contact with the ball in the right moment. It's the game, you know?"
Neris wasn't expected to be in this role. Adbert Alzolay started the season as closer and struggled mightily before being removed from save situations then finally heading to the injured list with a right flexor strain. Julian Merryweather has missed nearly the entire season with a rib stress fracture and isn't scheduled to return until the All-Star break. Yency Almonte seemed to have found a rhythm this season before heading to the injured list with a right shoulder strain on May 8. He probably isn't too far from a return.
But the likely point Counsell is trying to make is that his options are limited. He could move Tyson Miller to the ninth. The righty was designated for assignment by the Seattle Mariners then traded to the Cubs and has made 11 appearances while posting a 0.69 ERA since joining the team. He barely walks opposing batters and has neutralized both lefties and righties while on the North Side.
Mark Leiter Jr., who gave up a solo home run in the eighth but also limited damage after Hayden Wesneski struggled in the seventh, has been strong this season. Most of his issues have come after soft contact bit him in situations where the offense had done little to nothing on the day.
If he were being completely honest, Counsell would probably counter that he'd just be re-shuffling the deck chairs. With how the bullpen is currently constructed, he needs Neris in some form to get through games. He has the experience and slow heartbeat that one looks for to close out games. Right now he doesn't have the results.
For a team that's desperate for offense and looking to get wins in any way they can, losing in this fashion is demoralizing. The moment Estrada's ball landed in the bleachers, a still-packed Wrigley went silent. The Cubs had to have been feeling quite good about themselves up to that point. Maybe those big hits in the sixth and seventh innings were a sign of things to come.
But after another blown lead, the offense once again went silent. Giants closer Camilo Doval came in and set the top of the Cubs order down 1-2-3 and the collapse was complete.
The talk before the loss was about how Jed Hoyer needed to find this team an impact bat to jump-start a stagnant offense. The discourse will now shift back to a need to shuffle things in the bullpen as well. Whatever happens, one thing is for certain, it can't all stay the same. Otherwise, there may be no point in talking about this team as buyers come July.