PCA's tiebreaking blast can't save Cubs from 10th-inning loss

ST. LOUIS -- Pete Crow-Armstrong delivered a must-see moment for the Cubs in the 10th inning on Wednesday night, launching an emphatic two-run homer that temporarily jolted the North Siders out of an offensive lull. He flicked the bat hard to the dirt at his feet, backpedaling into his trot, while watching his teammates celebrate in the third-base dugout.

The heroics were fleeting, as the Cardinals found their way to three runs in the home half to send Chicago to a 3-2 loss in walk-off fashion at Busch Stadium. Iván Herrera’s two-run double deep into the left-center gap off Cubs righty Trent Thornton served as the final blow in St. Louis’ comeback.

“That was a good game,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “They had some big at-bats in the 10th.”

Here were three takeaways from Wednesday’s loss in St. Louis:

1. Boyd delivers again

Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd did all he could to keep hanging up zeros to buy Chicago's offense time to go to work, giving the North Siders seven innings. It was the latest in an extended stretch of solid outings for the veteran left-hander.

Over his last seven turns for the Cubs -- dating back to his return from the injured list on June 25, following surgery on his left knee -- Boyd has turned in a 1.93 ERA across 42 innings. It has been the type of performance that helped the lefty make an All-Star team last year and earn the Opening Day assignment this season.

“He’s pitching well,” Counsell said. “He just has to get into the season a little bit, coming off the IL. And I think he really has. He’s really pitching at a high level.”

Against the Cardinals, Boyd traded some four-seamers for curveballs, while mixing in his changeup and slider, to keep St. Louis guessing. Boyd allowed four hits and issued two walks, but he struck out five and generated 10 outs via grounders to sidestep trouble.

“He pitched great,” Counsell said. “I mean, the first four innings was kind of just a clinic. Efficient. Early swings. Popups. Nothing. And then he had to make some big pitches the last three innings, and he did.”

St. Louis’ biggest threat arrived in the sixth, when Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson each singled before Boyd later issued a two-out walk to José Fermín to load the bases. The Cubs’ lefty then used a changeup at the top of the zone to Blaze Jordan to induce an inning-ending popout to catcher Miguel Amaya in foul territory.

“They have a handful of aggressive guys in their lineup,” Boyd said. “Miggy did a great job of just identifying that. It’s one of those things you just have to play to the aggression -- you don’t pitch away from it. He does a great job keeping them off-balance.”

2. Offense quiet for nine

Heading into Wednesday night, the Cubs’ lineup had churned out 35 runs over the previous four games. That included a 10-run, 17-hit flurry on Tuesday night against the Cardinals.

Then, Chicago’s bats went quiet for nine innings.

The outage began against Cardinals righty Dustin May, who bowed out after 70 pitches and five scoreless innings with the Trade Deadline looming. Using a six-pitch attack -- led by his four-seamer and sweeper -- May held the Cubs to just one hit before handing things over to St. Louis’ bullpen.

Crow-Armstrong put an end to the drought by ripping an 0-1 changeup from Luis Gastelum that ran just below the zone. The home run, which was the center fielder’s 24th on the season, came with an exit velocity of 109.1 mph and soared a projected 424 feet, per Statcast.

“We didn’t do anything for nine innings, essentially, offensively,” Counsell said. “They had a couple more rallies, but didn’t do much, either.”

3. Another Webb gem

As injuries piled up within the Cubs’ planned bullpen, Jacob Webb emerged as a steady hand earlier this season and continued to earn the trust of Counsell.

Webb has become a go-to reliever for high-leverage moments and has picked up five saves along the way. On Wednesday night, Counsell handed the right-hander the eighth inning with the Nos. 2-4 hitters due up for the Cardinals.

Webb responded by striking out Walker, Herrera and Burleson in order to hold the game in its 0-0 deadlock. With that clean inning, the righty has given the North Siders 14 scoreless innings with 16 strikeouts and eight hits allowed in his last 14 appearances, dating back to June 24.

“Jacob’s been a good pitcher,” Counsell said. “He’s been in probably a different role, but he’s been a good pitcher in the Major Leagues. It’s a place where we saw an opportunity, and we were fortunate to get him. He’s pitching with a lot of confidence.”