Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (7/28/22): Giants 4, Cubs 2 – Sloppy Cubs Snap Winning Streak

The Cubs were hoping to extend their winning streak to seven games in San Francisco on Thursday night. Instead, it was a mistake-filled game for Chicago that ended up slowing their roll.

A dropped pop up by Patrick Wisdom spelled trouble for Justin Steele in the 3rd inning. The two-base error set up a two-run single for Yermin Mercedes and was followed by a Thairo Estrada single that gave the Giants a 3-0 lead. A botched Nico Horner throw led to an RBI double from Austin Slater in the 4th inning.

Giants starter Alex Wood was very sharp Thursday night, not allowing a hit until an Ian Happ single in the 7th inning. Wisdom helped atone for his earlier mistake with a two-run home run to left field in that same frame.

That was as close as Chicago would get as San Francisco closed out the 4-2 victory. (Box score)

Why the Cubs Lost

The Cubs were incredibly sloppy on Thursday. All four of the runs they gave up were unearned.

Eye on the Future

• Steele was not locked in command-wise but he deserved a much better fate: 3.2 IP, 4 R, 0 ER, 5 H, 6 K, and 1 BB.
• Erich Uelmen was very good pitching 2.1 innings of clean baseball Thursday.

Stats That Matter

• Wisdom hit his first home run since July 3, hopefully this is the start of a hot streak.
• Happ had the Cubs other two base hits on Thursday.

Bottom Line

The Cubs were playing like they were distracted on Thursday. Was it the trade deadline, traveling to the west coast, or just a bad team reverting to form? The only good news was that Steele did not get charged with the runs his defense helped give up.

On Deck

Game two of the series is Friday at 9:10pm CT. Marcus Stroman takes on Alex Cobb in a game available exclusively on Apple TV+.