Giants 5, Cubs 4: This bullpen is terrible. Get rid of them. I’m still serious. (2024)

I think I’ve seen this film before
And I didn’t like the ending — Taylor Swift

SAN FRANCISCO — It’s almost as if Craig Counsell is taunting the front office. “Look at these awful relievers you gave me,” Counsell appears to be saying to Jed Hoyer. “I’m gonna keep using them until you give me guys who can get batters out.”

Something like that is going through MY head, at least, if it’s not going through Counsell’s after another jaw-dropping bullpen meltdown that resulted in a 5-4 Giants walkoff win over the Cubs, literally a walkoff because Drew Smyly walked in the winning run.

Yes, we have seen this film before. Just last week, in fact.

It wasn’t just the bullpen failing, though. It was the Cubs’ lack of hitting with runners in scoring position. This game shouldn’t have even been close, the Cubs left 12 men on base and even though they did manage four hits with RISP, that was 4-for-FIFTEEN, for heaven’s sake, they had so many opportunities and so many utter failures.

Sigh. Let’s begin at the beginning.

As usual, the Cubs failed to score in the first inning. I’ve suggested a lineup shakeup, but Counsell doesn’t appear to want to do that, either.

Fortunately, Justin Steele was really on his game. He allowed a first-inning single to Heliot Ramos, but that was the only Giants baserunner through four innings.

The Cubs took the lead in the fourth. Cody Bellinger and Christopher Morel singled and Ian Happ walked to load the bases with nobody out. Fangraphs’ run expectancy matrix says, on average, teams should score at least two runs in that situation.

The Cubs did not do that. Dansby Swanson flied to right and the runners held.

Michael Busch beat out this infield dribbler and it was 1-0 [VIDEO].

It’s still bases loaded with one out. The run expectancy matrix is at about 1.5 runs, on average, in that situation.

But the Cubs did not score again. Tomas Nido struck out and Pete Crow-Armstrong grounded out, and that was that.

The Cubs extended the lead in the fifth, and this was a nice inning. Nico ho*rner led off with a walk and Seiya Suzuki singled him to third.

Another single by Cody Bellinger made it 2-0 [VIDEO].

Suzuki took second, where a wild pitch moved the runners up, and Christopher Morel walked to load the bases.

Happ beat a double-play relay and it was 3-0 Cubs [VIDEO].

Then Swanson doubled in Bellinger and it’s 4-0 [VIDEO].

There are still runners on second and third here with only one out. The Giants brought in Spencer Howard, who the Cubs had hit pretty hard at Wrigley Field last week.

Howard struck out Busch and Nido to end the inning. That’s more Cubs stranded in scoring position, if you’re keeping track.

Matt Chapman homered off Steele in the bottom of the inning and it’s now 4-1. In the top of the sixth, PCA led off with a triple to the deepest part of Oracle Park and you could tell he was at least thinking “inside-the-park homer” but even with his speed, that wasn’t possible. Nico beat out an infield hit but PCA had to hold at third.

First and third, nobody out, run expectancy 1.798, nearly two runs.

You know by the final score that the actual runs the Cubs scored here was zero after Suzuki popped up and Bellinger and Morel struck out.

Then the wheels started to fall off. Nick Ahmed, who is 34 and had not homered in over a year... homered off Steele to make it 4-2. But again, Steele recovered and didn’t allow a runner past first until a double with one out in the eighth... a ball that Suzuki should have caught.

Steele had a fine outing, the two homers aside, he struck out nine and threw the fourth-most pitches in his career, 106. That included 81 strikes, which is impressive. Here are his nine strikeouts [VIDEO].

Here’s more on Steele’s outing [VIDEO].

Tyson Miller relieved Steele and retired the next two hitters without incident. But the Cubs could not get a runner past first base over the last three innings.

Now it’s the bottom of the ninth and the Cubs are still up two runs. Miller had thrown only eight pitches (six strikes). Why not just leave him out there, Craig?

But the Cubs manager did not do that. He called on Colten Brewer. Chapman hit a fly to center that even the swift PCA could not quite catch up to, the ball going in and out of his glove. Thairo Estrada beat out a bunt for a single, with Chapman taking third.

A sacrifice fly made it 4-3. Okay, now there’s one out and a runner on first. Run expectancy is just 0.489 — the Cubs should win this game!

Drew Smyly was summoned. Of course, the Giants counter with righthanded pinch hitters. Coming into this game, Smyly was actually a bit better vs. RHB. But he allowed a single to Patrick Bailey that put runners on first and second. A walk to Ahmed loaded the bases and another sac fly tied the game 4-4, with the other runners also moving up. So, at least, maybe this game can to to extras?

The Cubs elected to intentionally pass Ramos, but Smyly could not throw strikes to Wilmer Flores, a walk followed, and the Giants won.

I’m just going to repost what I wrote last week:

There are four relievers at Iowa who are on the 40-man roster and have options: Daniel Palencia, Porter Hodge, Ethan Roberts and Michael Arias. Jorge Lopez was just signed to a minor-league deal, he’s been reasonably effective the last couple of years, why not try him? Sweep out the relievers who can’t get outs in the major leagues and bring up one or more of those guys. I mean, HOW MUCH WORSE COULD IT BE?

Monday evening, we found out how much worse it could be. Another song lyric comes to mind:

Well, I used to be disgusted
Now I try to be amused — Elvis Costello

If you can stand it, here are a minute’s worth of Craig Counsell’s postgame comments [VIDEO].

And this was another bullpen game for the Giants, who are down a bunch of starting pitchers and might have to throw yet ANOTHER bullpen game Tuesday.

The Giants had a pregame ceremony honoring Willie Mays, as this was their first home game after Mays’ passing last week at age 93. Both teams lined up along the baselines pre-game to honor the Giants superstar:

Al Yellon

So that was nice, appropriately on the 24th of the month, and as you can see, all the Giants players and coaches wore Mays’ No. 24 to honor him. The game, however, was not nice, at least from a Cubs point of view. I’ll just repost this, again, from last week’s debacle:

I’m tired of watching this bad baseball and so are you. Jed Hoyer, you’re on notice. Make changes. NOW.

This time, though, it wasn’t just the bullpen, it was the 12 men left on base, again, this game shouldn’t have even been close.

Kyle Hendricks will start for the Cubs Tuesday evening in the second of this four-game series. As noted above, the Giants don’t have a starter listed and it could be another bullpen game for them. Game time is again 8:45 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network (and MLB Network outside the Cubs and Giants market territories).