ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Cubs closer Hector Neris hadn’t allowed a hit in his last three appearances and hadn’t surrendered a run in June.
On Tuesday, however, he trudged off the field as the Rays’ Brandon Lowe circled the bases on a walk-off, three-run home run in the ninth inning, their paths almost crossing between third base and home.
‘‘It’s the day that you want to do everything, and it’s not your day,’’ Neris said after the Cubs’ 5-2 loss to the Rays.
The last moments of the game, when the Cubs’ lead slipped away, are the more memorable. But the more revealing trend in the loss came on the other side of the ball.
‘‘We had a bunch of singles today, really,’’ manager Craig Counsell said. ‘‘We had some balls hit well, kind of to the wall and not enough. But two runs — you’re not going to win most nights scoring two runs, for sure. So we’ve got to do more offensively.
‘‘There were some good signs. It’s a bunch of hits [and] some balls well-hit for outs. But two runs ain’t going to cut it.’’
The Cubs had 10 hits, to be exact, but only two went for extra bases: a homer by Christopher Morel and a double by Cody Bellinger.
They were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, continuing a concerning trend. Since the beginning of May, the Cubs are hitting .179 with runners in scoring position, the worst mark in the majors.
‘‘When you’re going through those struggles, every situation like that is heightened,’’ hitting coach Dustin Kelly told the Sun-Times before the game. ‘‘And . . . we’re trying to make sure that guys know that it’s their at-bat and they’re in control and we’re in the driver’s seat in that sense, that the pitcher is the one that has the pressure on him. And sometimes that can get flip-flopped, especially when you’re not scoring runs or you feel like runs are at a premium early in the game.’’
The Cubs, who haven’t been scoring enough early to run away with games, have played the most one-run games (26) in the major leagues. And the sheer number of close games has put more pressure on the back end of their bullpen.
‘‘It’s tough,’’ said Cubs starter Jameson Taillon, who pitched six scoreless innings against the Rays. ‘‘We did some of the same stuff last year. We’re in a lot of games, and the close ones hurt even more because you know you’re right there. But that’s baseball. And just show up tomorrow and try to get them to start turning your way.’’
Last season, the close games wore down the back end of the bullpen late and contributed to the Cubs’ meltdown in September.
The Cubs signed Neris during the offseason to help address that depth and add a veteran into the mix. But Adbert Alzolay, who served as the Cubs’ closer last season and at the beginning of this one, is on the 60-day IL with a strained flexor in his right forearm.
Though it’s the job of the high-leverage relievers to perform under pressure, they’re not going to be perfect every outing.
Neris entered with a 2-1 lead in the ninth. On a 2-0 count to Richie Palacios, he left a fastball over the plate that Palacios drove into the right-field corner for a leadoff double.
Neris then struck out Jose Siri but walked Ben Rortvedt. After a single by Jose Caballero tied the score, the game looked to be going into extra innings.
But with two runners on and two outs, Lowe worked a 3-2 count. Neris put a splitter on the outside edge of the plate, but it was a little too high, and Lowe put it over the fence to give the Rays the victory.