Cubs 4, Rays 3: You keep me hangin’ on (2024)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Come on, admit it. You were thinking it, I was thinking it, as soon as Hector Neris came in with another save opportunity in the ninth inning Wednesday, this time with a two-run lead instead of a one-run lead. You were sure he was going to blow it.

It nearly happened, as Heart Attack Hector allowed a solo home run and the Rays had the tying and winning runs in scoring position when Neris got Brandon Lowe, Tuesday’s Tampa Bay hero, to fly out to end the game, a 4-3 Cubs win. It was the team’s 27th one-run game of the year, the most in MLB (the A’s are second with 24). They’re 13-14 in those games.

But hey, I’m starting at the end. Let’s rewind to the beginning.

Javier Assad threw two scoreless innings before the Rays touched him up for a run in the third. As is usual, a walk from Assad helped that Rays run to score, and that’s been Assad’s biggest issue — too many walks and long counts, and again in this game he couldn’t finish the fifth inning, the fourth time in 14 starts he’s had to be pulled before the game was official.

The Cubs did get that run back in the fourth when Seiya Suzuki smashed this baseball [VIDEO].

Jose Siri just missed making a spectacular catch on that one, good thing he didn’t or we probably wouldn’t be discussing a Cubs win.

That run went right back to the Rays in the bottom of the fourth when Siri put one in the seats at the Trop.

The game remained 2-1 Rays until the seventh, thanks in part to some good relief pitching by Tyson Miller, who recorded four outs on just 16 pitches. Miller doesn’t throw hard but his arm slot is deceptive and he has thrown well since he’s been back with the Cubs. I’d like to see him get some more high-leverage relief situations.

In the seventh, the first two Cubs were routine outs. Then Christopher Morel singled and the Rays changed pitchers to lefthander Garrett Cleavinger with Michael Busch due up. Craig Counsell countered with pinch-hitter Patrick Wisdom, who got hit by a pitch. Both runners moved up with stolen bases.

The steals turned out to be irrelevant when Cody Bellinger put one in the seats [VIDEO].

That was Bellinger’s first homer since May 30 and it came at a great time. Suzuki followed with a walk and stolen base, but Ian Happ struck out to end the inning.

Drew Smyly was summoned for the seventh, and he threw very well, retiring all six Rays he faced on just 26 pitches. Perhaps he should throw more high-leverage relief, too.

With two out in the eighth, Pete Crow-Armstrong singled and stole second, the Cubs’ sixth steal of the game. From BCB’s JohnW53:

The Cubs’ six steals matched their season high, set May 2 in an 11-inning, 7-6 loss to the Mets at New York. They have had as many six-steal games this year as they had since 2000. Their previous two were on May 14, 2000, in a 16-15 loss at Montreal and in a 9-6 win at San Diego on June 3, 2008.

This was the Cubs’ 34th game with exactly six steals since 1901, but only their eighth in the last 70 seasons. They have not had more than six steals since they had seven in an 11-0 win at home over the Braves on May 25, 1924 — 100 years and 19 days ago.

The Cubs didn’t score in the ninth so it was up to... you know who.

Neris got ahead of Tuesday’s game by retiring Richie Palacios on a comebacker on his first pitch. But then Jose Caballero homered, and it was “uh-oh” from just about every Cubs fan.

Ben Rortvedt singled and Taylor Walls walked and both advanced on a ground out. So now the Rays have the tying run on third and winning run on second and Tuesday’s hero Brandon Lowe at bat.

You knew how this was going to end, right? Only it didn’t. Neris ran the count to 1-1 on Lowe and then this happened [VIDEO].

I swear, PCA looked like he was going to knock Happ down if he’d come anywhere near that ball. I’m still not thrilled with Neris closing (who is?), and depending on how Jordan Wicks does replacing Ben Brown in the rotation, it might be a good idea to try Brown at closer when he comes back from the IL.

Phew! So the Cubs win, and in so doing remain in a three-way tie for second place in the NL Central with the Reds and Cardinals, seven games behind the Brewers, who also won Wednesday. There is still time for the Cubs to get back in the division race, and they might have made a real good bullpen pickup here:

As always, we await developments.

BCB’s Thomas Smith, who lives in the Tampa area, joined me for this game. I’d met him once previously in the Wrigley bleachers, but it was nice to share a ballgame with him.

The Cubs will go for the series win Thursday evening at the Trop — I won’t be at Thursday’s game, as I’ve mentioned previously. I’ve got to take a flight back to Chicago Thursday morning so I can be at Wrigley for the Friday afternoon game against the Cardinals. I can only imagine how tired the Cubs players will be after getting in probably after midnight.

Thursday, Justin Steele will start for the Cubs and Taj Bradley will go for Tampa Bay. Game time is again 5:50 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network (and MLB Network outside the Cubs and Rays market territories).