ST. LOUIS — The Cubs' 11-3 loss to the Cardinals in Game 1 of a doubleheader Saturday was all but decided after Cubs starter Hayden Wesneski gave up nine runs in the first inning. Only two were earned runs.
“We gave them six outs,” manager Craig Counsell said between games.
The Cubs made three mistakes in the field before the first out. With the game tied at 1-1 and runners on first and second, Wesneski induced Lars Nootbaar to hit a chopper up the middle. Wesneski fielded it cleanly but then turned to second base and sailed his throw into center field.
Next up, Nolan Arenado hit a ground ball right to shortstop Dansby Swanson, but third baseman Miles Mastrobuoni cut it off and failed to get an out, loading the bases for Brendan Donovan.
Donovan chopped a soft ground ball to the right side of the field, but Wesneski missed it, and by the time he caught up to it, his flip to first base was too late.
Still, the Cubs might have gotten out of the inning with just a 3-1 deficit if it weren’t for a hit by pitch.
“The hit batter to [Michael] Siani was obviously costly,” Counsell said. “And we just couldn't finish the inning. So, the game was out of hand early, unfortunately.”
Wesneski recorded back-to-back bases-loaded strikeout to Nolan Gorman and Pedro Pagés. Then, in a 2-2 count, Wesneski’s inside sweeper broke into Siani’s hands, pushing across another run and turning over the lineup.
Masyn Winn’s two-run single and Alec Burleson’s two-run homer put the game out of reach.
“Weird inning,” Wesneski said. “I’m the one who really messed it up, starting it with the sailed throw to second. Still competed. Still got weak contact. It’s just one of those things where, one thing goes right, we’re in a different game. The homer at the end kind of was the nail in the coffin. I was grinding my butt off and left one pitch over the middle.”
Even after throwing 40 pitches in the first inning, Wesneski made it through four innings.
“The rest of the game put us in decent shape,” Counsell said of the bullpen.
Before the first game, the Cubs put left-handed reliever Luke Little on the 15-day IL with what the Cubs called a strained left shoulder. He’d left the game the night before after four pitches.
“We'll learn more over the All-Star break,” Counsell said. “It’s likely some sort of shoulder injury, and that’s obviously concerning for a pitcher.”
The Cubs activated right-hander Javier Assad from the 15-day IL to start the second game and serve as the “27th man” in the doubleheader.
They recalled reliever Ethan Roberts from Triple-A Iowa. After he threw two scoreless innings in Game 1, the Cubs optioned him and recalled reliever Daniel Palencia from Triple-A.
