Cubs can't pick up Arrieta in finale vs. Reds

CHICAGO -- The Cubs’ bullpen looked as dominant as ever on Sunday.

Chicago got 5 1/3 scoreless innings from Brad Wieck, Rex Brothers, Dillon Maples and Dan Winkler, who combined to allow just two walks and a hit. Despite losing a streak of 38 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run on Saturday, Chicago’s relievers have now given up just a single earned run in their last 47 1/3 innings.

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“It's almost like you can tell those guys are feeding off each other and kind of passing the torch and taking pride in the ability to put up zeros and limit inherited runners from scoring,” Cubs starter Jake Arrieta said. “They've done an amazing job in that, and there's no reason why they can't continue to pitch near where they have been. So, a huge asset for us, and it's really nice to see.”

The bullpen was one of many things going right for the Cubs as they won 18 of their first 25 games in May, but in the 5-1 loss to the Reds in the series finale at Wrigley Field, it was the only thing that didn’t go wrong.

The Cubs entered the game with the third-highest average in the Majors in May (.265), yet they recorded more errors (two) than hits (one) through the first seven innings. Chicago’s rotation had been on a hot streak, posting a 2.76 ERA with 60 strikeouts to just 15 walks in the last 13 games, but Arrieta gave up five runs (two earned) with more walks allowed (four) than strikeouts (three) before he was removed in the top of the fourth.

Kris Bryant came into Sunday with an 11-game hitting streak and top-five National League marks in average (.322), OPS (1.000) and extra-base hits (26). But in his first three at-bats, Bryant hit into three easy groundouts -- each with an expected batting average below .250 -- before finally driving in the Cubs’ only run with a single in the eighth.

It didn’t help that David Bote was placed on the 10-day injured list with a dislocated left shoulder less than an hour before first pitch. But with a shot at its first seven-game winning streak since 2019, Chicago was instead stalled by Cincinnati.

“Our guys have been fighting. They've done a nice job. Great performances up until today, just kind of didn't go our way. Never got things going,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “It's just one of those, turn the page.”

Things went sideways immediately for Chicago. In the first inning, Arrieta gave up back-to-back singles and a walk to load the bases with one out, and Tyler Naquin hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the day’s first run. An error by Bryant at first base cost the Cubs an out and reloaded the bases. Arrieta then hit a batter and allowed an infield single to put Chicago in a 3-0 hole.

It was a grind from the start for Arrieta, who had to throw 33 of his 89 pitches in the first inning alone.

“I think it was pretty obvious it wasn't [good] from the get-go,” Arrieta said, when asked whether his command was where he wanted it to be. “Didn't have a good feel for really anything. Didn't command the ball great. Tough start in the first, and pitch count, I threw I think 30 or so in the first inning and just battled the whole day.”

So Ross turned to the bullpen, and it delivered.

The Cubs came into Sunday with the second-best bullpen ERA (2.81) and the second-most strikeouts (250) in the Majors. Down, 5-0, with very little offensive success, Chicago’s day seemed already over by the time Ross handed the ball to Wieck with two outs in the fourth.

The bullpen at least gave the Cubs a chance.

“I think the bullpen's done a phenomenal job. That's nothing new. Those guys have done a really nice job,” Ross said. “That would have been a really easy one to let get away from us.”