Cubs resilient after second straight walk-off loss

PITTSBURGH -- Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer took his dog for a longer walk than usual on Thursday night. It gave him time to clear his head and allowed the initial emotional response to Phillies star Bryce Harper's walk-off grand slam against Chicago to somewhat subside.

Sitting in the visitors' dugout at PNC Park on Friday, Hoyer explained that he does that from time to time after a tough loss. Another gut punch arrived a few hours later, when Kevin Newman's bases-loaded, ninth-inning single off Cubs reliever Brandon Kintzler sent the North Siders to a 3-2 defeat at PNC Park.

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"It sucks," Kintzler said. "We've got a game in, what, 10 hours or something? So, we've got to get over it."

That was the sentiment around the clubhouse on Friday night.

Baseball players are one-day-at-a-time creatures. They are trained to have short memories, flushing away difficult defeats and arriving to the ballpark ready for the normal daily routine regardless of what took place one game earlier. Right now, though, given the extent of the Cubs' road woes, the "it's just one game" quotes have been piled into an unsteady, teetering stack.

"Obviously, you're going to feel it right after the game," Kris Bryant said. "But, when the sun comes up, it's a new day, it's a new game. Super cliche, but it's what it is. That's what this whole game of baseball really is -- a lot of cliches. But you've got to live it like that, because there's so many games."

On the heels of being swept by Harper's Phillies, the Cubs are 0-10-2 in their past 12 road series. Chicago has a 23-39 record away from Wrigley Field this season, with no series wins against National League Central foes on the road. The Tigers (39), Orioles (40) and Royals (41) are the only other Major League clubs with at least 39 road losses at this point.

And yet, the Cubs are just one game behind the first-place Cardinals in the NL Central. Chicago can thank its record at home (41-19) for that silver lining.

"We don't deserve to be based on how we've played," Hoyer said before the loss in Pittsburgh. "We should look at that as an incredible opportunity. We've had all these road struggles all year. We're 15 under on the road and yet, somehow, we wake up this morning in first place with a chance to win the 41-game sprint to the end.

"But we can't keep having this conversation over and over. We keep on playing well at home, having that conversation. Then we go on the road, give up whatever lead we have, and get knocked back down. If we continue that cycle, we're going to end up disappointed. So, we have to stop that. We have to figure this out."

And how do the Cubs need to go about fixing it?

"It takes a fundamental, consistent effort nightly. That's what it takes," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "There's no magic potion here. It comes down to, we haven't hit as well and we haven't pitched as well. Why? I can't give you reasons why. I don't know why.

"The group is not intimidated. Patterns are the same. It's not inappropriate patterns. It's just awkward. We have such a wonderful home record and disparate road record."

For most of Friday night, the Cubs played a cleaner, fundamental brand of baseball.

Right-hander Kyle Hendricks worked seven efficient innings, holding the Pirates to one run on three hits. After Joe Musgrove quieted Chicago's lineup for 7 1/3 frames, Tony Kemp came through with a two-run, go-ahead triple off Pittsburgh closer Felipe Vázquez in the eighth. Reliever David Phelps then handled the eighth, bringing the Cubs three outs from the win.

Much like Thursday night, when a series of small setbacks paved the way for Harper's GIF-generating grand slam, the ninth unraveled slowly on Friday. Kyle Ryan gave up an infield single to Bryan Reynolds with one out, and then Kintzler (fresh off the injured list) walked three in a row (the first an intentional walk to Bucs’ slugger Josh Bell with first base open) to force in the tying run with two outs.

Newman then finished the Cubs off with a game-winning single that ripped into center.

If Harper's homer was a knockout punch, Newman's hit was a kick to the side while the Cubs were already down.

"I don't ever remember it in my whole baseball playing career," Bryant said of experiencing two such losses in a row. "So, I don't know how to respond to it. It's all new to me. It's new to most of us. I guess it's cliche. You've just got to keep going. I don't know what else to say."

Hoyer was also at a loss when it came to explaining why the Cubs have continued to experience extreme struggles on the road.

"You look at other teams that are where we are at home," said the GM, "and you're talking about the dominant teams in baseball. You look at where we are on the road and it's among the teams fighting to draft one-one. The 100-loss teams. I don't know. It's hard to reconcile that, because I do, I believe in the talent of this group."