CHICAGO -- Before Friday’s game, Cubs manager Craig Counsell pointed to one thing that has hurt Chicago most during its recent offensive struggles.
“When you do have runners on base, you can’t give up an at-bat,” Counsell said.
A few hours later, the Cubs did exactly that.
Chicago repeatedly threatened but failed to deliver in key moments during a 4-2 loss to the Astros at Wrigley Field, finishing 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranding 11 runners while dropping its sixth consecutive game.
The defining moment came in the third inning. Trailing 1-0, the Cubs loaded the bases with nobody out on one walk and two via hit-by-pitch. But Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti escaped untouched, striking out Ian Happ with a 76.8 mph curveball before Seiya Suzuki popped out and Michael Conforto grounded out to end the inning.
The missed opportunity brought loud boos from the Wrigley Field crowd and continued a brutal stretch for Chicago’s offense, which has now scored just seven runs over its past four games.
The Cubs have now lost a season-high six consecutive games and are 2-10 since snapping a 10-game winning streak on May 9. Chicago has scored two runs or fewer eight times during that 12-game stretch.
Houston added on steadily from there.
Jameson Taillon lasted 4 2/3 innings for Chicago, allowing four runs on eight hits while striking out five.
“We lost, and I didn’t complete five innings, so not good enough,” Taillon said. “The game’s a little hard right now for a lot of us. When the game punches you a little bit, you’ve got to punch back and find a way.”
The Cubs finally broke through in the sixth inning when Pete Crow-Armstrong launched a two-run homer into right field, snapping Chicago’s 15-inning scoreless drought. The line-drive blast traveled a Statcast-projected 406 feet and left his bat at 104.7 mph.
But Houston’s bullpen handled the rest, and the Cubs were left frustrated once again after another afternoon filled with missed chances offensively.
“The bases-loaded, nobody-out situation and not getting runs across in that inning, that’s frustrating,” Counsell said. “That’s an opportunity with the middle of your lineup up, and just not being able to get it done is frustrating.”
The Cubs stranded runners in scoring position in four of the first five innings and repeatedly failed to capitalize against Arrighetti, who battled inconsistent command early but escaped each jam unscathed.
Counsell said the struggles with runners in scoring position have started to create an unusual dynamic offensively.
“The pressure’s on the pitcher in those at-bats,” Counsell said. “It feels a little backwards right now in terms of that.”
Chicago had opportunities late, too. Carson Kelly was hit by a pitch and Crow-Armstrong drew a walk with two outs in the eighth inning before Dansby Swanson reached on an error, bringing the tying run into scoring position. But Houston escaped again.
Crow-Armstrong continued one of the few encouraging trends for the Cubs offensively. The center fielder also drew a walk earlier in the game and aggressively advanced to third base on a pickoff attempt in the second inning. Counsell praised Crow-Armstrong’s recent progress against left-handed pitching after the game.
“His at-bats against left-handed pitching, I agree, they’ve been a step forward,” Counsell said. “Absolutely.”
For much of the afternoon, though, the focus remained on the Cubs’ inability to deliver the one hit that could have changed the game.
“You want to be the guy that breaks the seal and gets us going,” Happ said. “The challenge is not putting more pressure on yourself and just having your at-bat.”
Swanson echoed a similar sentiment afterward, acknowledging both the frustration and the reality of the grind that comes with a long season.
“Sometimes when you’re in a stretch like this, it just seems like nothing ever goes right,” Swanson said. “But at the end of the day, nobody feels bad for us. People are going to keep coming after us, and we have to respond in the right way.”
Counsell also hinted that lineup changes could be coming as the Cubs search for answers offensively.
“I think we’ve got to do something different,” Counsell said. “I think there’s some at-bats where it’s starting to feel like confidence is shaken, and sometimes you need a different look in the lineup, or a day off. I think we’re definitely at that point.”