SAN FRANCISCO – Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker’s throw was on line for his cut-off man and home plate. But it took the unluckiest of bounces.
In the Cubs’ 12-3 loss to the Giants on Wednesday, the Giants’ Matt Chapman was heading back to first base after an RBI single down the right-field line in the fifth inning, when Tucker’s throw hit him in the back of the helmet.
The contact redirected the ball enough to send it over catcher Carson Kelly. Another run scored, and Chapman advanced to second. He, too, would score, when Casey Schmitt hit a two-out single to left field.
Cubs left-hander Taylor Rogers replaced starter Colin Rea and immediately struck out Jung Hoo Lee to escape the inning. The damage, however, had already been done.
The Giants had control of the game with a 7-3 lead after a three-run rally in the fifth inning. But they continued to tack on.
In the sixth inning, Rafael Devers launched his second home run of the game, this time for three runs off Rogers.
The next inning, Chapman homered off left-hander Jordan Wicks.
The game had gotten so out of hand by the eighth inning that the Cubs put catcher Reese McGuire on the mound. He, too, gave up a home run, to Heliot Ramos.
“It was just a bad night,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Nico [Hoerner] had a good night and did some some good things. But we didn’t pitch well, left some scoring opportunities out there.”
Hoerener was the team’s early offensive hero, launching a three-run blast in the second inning.
The Cubs, however, failed to capitalize when they had the bases loaded with one out in both the first and fifth innings. They grounded into double plays to end both without scoring.
“Maybe things go different if … we put some runs on the board in those innings,” Counsell said. “Maybe we can line [up] the pitching and be a little more aggressive with it. But that didn’t happen.”
Dropping two straight games at Oracle Park, the Cubs lost the three-game series before stepping on the field for the finale Thursday. They slid to 6 ½ games back of the NL Central-leading Brewers.