Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (9/8/23): D-Backs 1, Cubs 0 – Cubs Can’t Handle the Zac Attack

The Cubs lineup was absolutely dominated by Zac Gallen on Friday afternoon in a shutout loss. Jameson Taillon pitched his best game as a Cub but the Diamondbacks were able to score a single run on a fly ball that dropped just inches in front of Seiya Suzuki‘s glove in right field.

Both pitchers started out incredibly well, not allowing a hit through the first four innings. Taillon eventually went six innings only allowing a walk and a single to Corbin Carroll. Unfortunately, Gallen was just as stingy and the game remained scoreless through seven.

Chicago went with José Cuas in the 8th inning and it did not go well. A single and a walk put two men on with nobody out. Mark Leiter Jr. got the call with two on and one out and got a strikeout followed by what appeared to be a great sliding catch by Suzuki in right to rob Carroll and escape the threat.

Arizona challenged the play and replay review showed the ball bounced just an inch in front of Suzuki’s mitt and it was correctly ruled a go-ahead RBI single. That skinny run was all Gallen needed as he went the distance. (Box score)

Key Moment

It seems fitting with the NFL coming back this weekend that the game came down to a catch that was trapped on the grass. If Suzuki had made that catch, the game would probably still be going on right now.

Why the Cubs Lost

They didn’t even get a runner to second base on Friday as they faced about as masterful of a pitching performance as you could get outside of a no-hitter.

Stats That Matter

• This really was an unbelievable effort by Taillon and it’s a shame he didn’t get rewarded for it: 6 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 9 Ks, and 1 BB.
• Suzuki had two of the Cubs’ three base hits on Friday.
• Nico Hoerner had the other knock and he crushed a warning-track fly ball in the 1st inning that would have been a home run if the wind was blowing out.

Bottom Line

This was another game in which the North Siders were absolutely dominated by an ace-level pitcher. Unlike against the Brewers last week, they were not able to scrape together a couple of runs to pull off a win. They have to try and salvage at least a game in the series to prevent Arizona from getting all the way back even. It might be time for a bit of a shakeup in the lineup to try and spark the offense.

On Deck

The Cubs try to get back into gear against the Diamondbacks on Saturday at 1:20pm CT. It’s another excellent pitching matchup between Justin Steele and Merrill Kelly with coverage on Marquee and 670 The Score.