Chicago Cubs bullpen allows 4 runs in 8th inning to spoil Matthew Boyd's gem — and Ryne Sandberg tribute

Chicago Tribune

4 days ago

Man, it sure was fun for Chicago Cubs fans to see No. 23 playing second base.
And third base. And shortstop. And, well, all over the field.
As a tribute to Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who died Monday at 65 after a recurrence of cancer, all of the Cubs players and coaches wore dark blue jerseys with No. 23 and no last names on the back Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles.
'This was a very beautiful way of doing it,' said Nico Hoerner, who played shortstop and had three hits. 'It was hard to look at the ballplayers on the field and not think about him. And for fans out there that watched him for 15 years here and all the memories he created, hopefully it reminded them of all the joy he brought them.
'It was an amazing legacy he leaves behind.'
But it wasn't so fun for the fans to watch a pair of relief pitchers wearing No. 23 give up four runs in the eighth inning of a 4-3 loss to the Orioles in front of a Wrigley Field crowd of 40,781.
The Cubs (61-43) fell two games behind in the National League Central after the Milwaukee Brewers won 8-2 in Washington.
Gunnar Henderson's three-run homer off Cubs reliever Caleb Thielbar (2-3) allowed the Orioles (51-60) to spoil the Cubs' special day. Ryan Brasier gave up a hit and a walk to start the Baltimore rally.
Entering the disastrous eighth, Cubs pitchers had shut out the Orioles for 16 straight innings in the series.
Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd pitched a masterpiece for seven innings, allowing four hits and striking out eight. It looked like he was in prime position to improve to 12-4 overall and 10-0 at Wrigley this season.
He wasn't happy with the loss but he also didn't blame the relievers.
'It was a good baseball game,' Boyd said. 'Caleb has been awesome for us. Caleb and Brase and our whole bullpen have been nails. They have been on amazing runs.
'Sometimes that happens. Gunnar Henderson is a very good hitter. This lineup is a good lineup, regardless of their record.'
It was also a good game for Boyd to get back on track after a subpar performance Monday in Milwaukee in which he gave up five runs in five innings.
The player who wore No. 23 at Sandberg's second base position, Willi Castro, made his Cubs debut and would have made 'Ryno' proud.
Castro, who came to the Cubs in a trade-deadline deal with the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, had two hits and scored twice. He also made a flashy play at second when he threw out Jackson Holliday with his gloved hand in the sixth.
Castro's first at-bat was a complicated single to left in the second. His liner to shallow left was first ruled a catch for Colton Cowser but was reviewed and ruled a trap. Castro eventually came home on Reese McGuire's sacrifice fly.
Castro's liner in the fourth dropped and skipped by right fielder Jeremiah Jackson for a triple. He came home on Hoerner's single.
'This was one of the best fields that I played with the fans, the weather and I felt great,' he said. 'It was a tough loss today, but that's a good team.'
Castro started at second and Hoerner moved to short to give regular shortstop Dansby Swanson a breather. Swanson had played a team-high 108 games through Friday.
Manager Craig Counsell is happy to have a switch hitter in Castro who can play anywhere on the field. It allows him flexibility to give an overworked player rest or to fill in if there's an injury.
'Willi really had a nice debut,' Counsell said. 'He contributed to a couple of runs scored. But after we got the 3-0 lead, we missed some opportunities.'
Right-hander Michael Soroka, who came to the Cubs in a Wednesday deal with the Nationals, reported Saturday and will start Monday against the Cincinnati Reds. Right-handed reliever Brooks Kriske was designated for assignment.
With days off Thursday and Aug. 11, Counsell wasn't sure when Soroka's next appearance would be. The Cubs could get away with using four starters for a turn through the rotation.
August will be an intriguing month for the rotation. With Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad possibly returning in the coming weeks, there could be an oversupply of starters with a few candidates moved to the bullpen.
Having the extra arms will come in handy Aug. 12-24, when the Cubs play 14 games in 13 days, including a home doubleheader with the Brewers on Aug. 18.
But Counsell isn't thinking too far ahead.
'Those are the type of decisions that you wait as long as you can to make them,' he said.