Bregman, Busch get through top prospect Anderson, but Cubs stunned by Arozarena

SEATTLE – Jacob Webb had not allowed a run for the Cubs dating back to late June. That streak finally ended for the veteran reliever who has grown into Chicago’s closer and a trusted stopper in manager Craig Counsell’s bullpen.

In the ninth inning on Saturday, Webb’s 24-game scoreless streak was snapped by a two-run, walk-off homer from Randy Arozarena that sent the Cubs to a 5-4 loss at T-Mobile Park. The blast followed an RBI single by Leo Rivas, who sparked the three-run rally in the final frame.

“He’s having a heck of a season,” Counsell said. “Today doesn’t change that. He’s going to be out there the next time there’s an opportunity.”

The comeback by the Mariners overcame a three-run push by Chicago in the sixth – powered by back-to-back homers from Alex Bregman and Michael Busch – against highly-touted Seattle lefty Kade Anderson in his Major League debut.

Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s loss:

1. Third time’s a charm

The 22-year-old Anderson – ranked No. 5 on Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects list, and first among pitchers – was called straight to the Majors from Double-A Arkansas for Saturday’s start. Seeing a pitcher for the first time can be a challenge, even for an experienced big league lineup.

“Sometimes you try to figure out, ‘Where does a pitcher give up damage?’” Counsell said before the game. “And, ‘Where are the places that are bad for him?’ But, he’s been so dominant in the Minor Leagues, it’s hard to find those places. He’s had a wonderful season, for sure.”

Anderson went 10-1 with a 1.06 ERA and 135 strikeouts against 13 walks in 93 1/3 innings this year before taking the mound at T-Mobile Park. And for the first three innings, the lefty backed up those numbers, holding Chicago’s offense hitless and racking up four strikeouts the first time through the order.

The Cubs, though, headed into the game leading the Majors in both OPS (.805) and weighted Runs Created Plus (124) against lefty pitchers this season. Chicago also led the National League in OPS (.826) when seeing a starting pitcher for a third time in a game. Those stats eventually won out against Anderson.

The second time through the order, the Cubs went 2-for-7 and scratched a run across via a sacrifice fly from Kevin Alcántara in the fifth. And then in the sixth, the North Siders chased the rookie lefty with a 3-for-4 showing that was punctuated by the back-to-back homers from Bregman and Busch.

“He’s got pretty good stuff,” said Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya, who had a homer robbed by Arozarena in left in the third. “His numbers are there. I know it was Double-A stats, but it doesn’t matter. Everyone has a bat and he dominated the Minors. We put a good plan against him today. We put some runs on him.”

2. Peterson’s quality return

Cubs lefty David Peterson was briefly removed from the rotation when Edward Cabrera came off the injured list last week – only to land back on the shelf due to a blister issue. That cleared the way for Peterson to slide back into the starting staff, and the veteran southpaw did not miss a beat.

After allowing a leadoff homer to Arozarena in the first inning, Peterson held Seattle’s lineup to a 1-for-13 showing through the fourth inning. The Mariners did score a run in the fifth, but Peterson limited the damage and escaped via back-to-back strikeouts of Julio Rodríguez and Josh Naylor.

When it was all said and done, Peterson exited with a quality start that included eight strikeouts, two walks and only the two runs allowed over six frames. Across his past eight games for the Cubs – seven starts – he now has a 2.20 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 41 innings.

“I felt good,” Peterson said. “I felt like we had a good game plan going in and the execution was there. Randy jumped on the first pitch, but I feel like we were able to get right back to it. Pound the zone and the defense was awesome again.”

3. Taylor shows off his value

One of the reasons the Cubs wanted to acquire Tyrone Taylor at the Deadline was to add a player who could impact a game on multiple fronts. The bulk of his chances with Chicago were going to come with a lefty on the mound, too.

For Saturday's game, Taylor got the start in right field (Seiya Suzuki moved into the designated hitter role) and was slotted into the lineup’s sixth spot.

With the Cubs struggling early against Anderson – managing just a single by Suzuki through four innings – Taylor led off the fifth by working a walk. The Cubs outfielder then stole second base and moved up another 90 feet on a single by Pedro Ramírez. That put Taylor in position to score on the sac fly, pulling the game into a 1-1 tie. Taylor later added an RBI double in the sixth.