Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (2/29/24): Rockies 10, Cubs 9 – Cubs Lose Despite Big Day from Caissie
The Rockies and Cubs battled in a slugfest at Sloan Park Thursday afternoon. Colorado eventually prevailed, but there were a lot of promising performances from young Cubs to be happy about.
Drew Smyly did not help his case to earn the final spot in the rotation. The left-hander gave up five runs, including two home runs, in his 2.2 innings of work Thursday. Nico Hoerner cut the deficit to 5-2 with a two-run single in the bottom of the 3rd.
Owen Caissie doubled in a run in the 4th inning to begin what would be a huge afternoon. It was a tough outing for young Cub reliever Daniel Palencia, who gave up three runs and got hit very hard as the Rockies went ahead 8-3 in the 5th.
Late home runs from Joe Hudson and David Bote pulled Chicago within one at 9-8 in the 8th inning. Each team would tally an additional run in the 9th but Colorado took home the 10-9 win. (Box score)
Why the Cubs Lost
This was a classic chaotic spring training contest, but a couple of bad pitching performances made the difference in this game.
Stats That Matter
- Christopher Morel had a double, a single, and a walk on Thursday. He also had his first real defensive misplay of the spring when he bobbled a grounder at third base but overall he’s been solid so far.
- Caissie doubled twice, walked, and used his speed to beat out an infield hit in a perfect performance at the plate. He’s going to be a very good major league player very soon.
- Reliever Hector Neris made his Cubs debut Thursday and was very sharp in a perfect inning.
Bottom Line
Morel and Caissie are two players with sky-high ceilings who could be impact talents. Morel can make that impact this season and Caissie is not far behind at all. Neris should help solidify a Cubs bullpen that ran out of steam down the stretch in 2023.
On Deck
The Cubs take on the White Sox for the second time this spring on Friday at 2:05pm CT as Justin Steele makes his first appearance in a contest again airing on Marquee.
