Wicks' short start sets tone as Cubs wrap tough May

ST. LOUIS -- What has turned into a frustrating May that saw the Cubs go 13-16 ended with, perhaps fittingly, a frustrating loss.

Chicago starter Jordan Wicks lasted just two-plus innings as the North Siders dropped the rubber game of a three-game series, 5-1, to the Cardinals on Sunday night. He allowed three runs on four hits and struck out one of the 10 batters he faced.

In Wicks’ two starts since being recalled from Triple-A Iowa on May 24, he is 0-2 with a 15.63 ERA.

Wicks was more competitive from the jump, unlike his last start against the Pirates when he allowed five runs in the first.

But though the pitches were more competitive, the results were not.

The Cardinals didn’t exactly barrel any balls, but still managed to scratch out a pair of runs in a frustrating first inning for the left-hander.

Trouble started after JJ Wetherholt guided a 1-2 offering weakly past the third-base bag on a ball that left his bat at just 70.9 mph per Statcast. Iván Herrera and Jordan Walker followed with opposite-field singles to make it 1-0 and Herrera scored when an Alec Burleson bloop fell between the mound and second base.

Wicks’ night ended after allowing a leadoff infield single to Wetherholt in the third. The Cubs’ frustrations continued with a Herrera single that just missed Dansby Swanson’s glove, and another Burleson bloop found the outfield grass in short left field scoring Wetherholt. Masyn Winn capped the rally with a two-run single off Ethan Roberts to give the Cardinals a 5-0 lead.

Chicago’s bullpen did provide a lift as Trent Thornton, Phil Maton and Ryan Rolison combined for five scoreless innings from the fourth inning on.

But the Cubs’ bats couldn’t get going against Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore. After allowing back-to-back singles to Nico Hoerner and Pete Crow-Armstrong to start the game, Liberatore retired 16 of the next 18 batters he faced until being lifted after getting Crow-Armstrong to fly out to begin the sixth.

Alex Bregman gave the offense a jolt by greeting reliever Hunter Dobbins with a 404-foot homer right after Liberatore was lifted. The blast extended Bregman’s hitting streak to 11 games.

The Cubs had a chance to get back in it in the seventh after Michael Conforto’s pinch-hit double put runners on second and third with one out, but Dobbins wiggled out of the jam by striking out Swanson and getting Hoerner to ground out.