PHOENIX – Even the Diamondbacks placing in a reliever to pinch hit didn’t cease the onslaught within the eighth inning, burying the Cubs in a 10-6 loss Sunday.
And as Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson chopped an RBI single up the center to increase Arizona’s result in two runs, the inning raised considerations that had been brewing within the early days of the season.
“That is our group, and we’ve actually acquired to be just a little higher than that, and anticipate it, and we are going to,” supervisor Craig Counsell mentioned of the bullpen. “At present wasn’t a great day.”
All 10 of the Diamondbacks’ runs got here in opposition to relievers, after starter Matt Boyd threw 5 scoreless innings. Nate Pearson was charged with two runs, Caleb Thielbar with two and Eli Morgan with six.
Even earlier than Sunday, nonetheless, the bullpen had skilled its wobbles.
The Cubs have been proud of veteran nearer Ryan Pressly’s progress cleansing up mechanical points from final season, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a piece in progress. He navigated these components to say his first save as a Cub on Saturday regardless of giving up a two-run residence run to Eugenio Suárez.
Proper-hander Brad Keller gave up two runs in his lone look. Pearson, in three appearances, has but to have a scoreless outing.
Proper-hander Julian Merryweather – who has expertise in excessive leverage however is coming off a shaky, injury-ridden 2024 season – wasn’t accessible to pitch Sunday, Counsell mentioned. The Cubs had Merryweather heat up twice the primary sport of the sequence and twice Friday. He hadn’t recovered, however he was not injured, Counsell confirmed.
“We’ve acquired an incredible group of fellows down there,” Boyd mentioned of the bullpen after his season debut. “We’ve acquired an incredible pitching employees, and we all know what we will do.”
Regardless, the bullpen – which underwent essentially the most reconstruction of the Cubs’ place teams this winter – introduced itself as the most important space of concern by way of six video games. That eight-run eighth inning Sunday drove residence the purpose.
It began with back-to-back walks from Thielbar, who had recorded the final two outs of the earlier inning with out incident. Morgan, who’d thrown three shutout innings in his earlier two appearances,changed him and bumped into hassle nearly instantly.
After inducing a flyout, he surrendered 4 straight hits: a two-run double to Geraldo Perdomo, a two-run residence run to Lourdes Gurriel Jr., a single to Gabriel Moreno, and a go-ahead RBI double to Josh Naylor.
“I really feel just like the pitches felt good out of my arms,” Morgan mentioned. “So, it’s simply extra command, seeing the place they find yourself, versus the stuff.”
With a base open, the Cubs had Morgan deliberately stroll Suárez to get to the pitcher’s spot within the order. The Diamondbacks had already forfeited the DH earlier within the sport. And having exhausted their bench, they referred to as on Nelson, who’d had 176 at-bats on the College of Oregon however no skilled plate appearances.
He confirmed bunt early. And Naylor and Suárez executed a double steal to succeed in second and third. Then in a 2-1 depend, with the infield in, Nelson discovered a gap.
Naylor made it residence, however heart fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong nabbed Suárez on the plate. Morgan allowed yet another RBI single, to Alek Thomas, earlier than Colin Rea relieved him. And after giving up an RBI double to Corbin Carroll, he mercifully induced an inning-ending groundout.
