Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (6/25/24): Giants 5, Cubs 1 – Hendricks Gem Wasted

Tuesday was a typical uninspired loss for the Cubs against the Giants at Oracle Park. Kyle Hendricks gave a vintage performance, throwing seven strong frames, but Chicago’s offensive woes and the usual bullpen adventure conspired to saddle him ith an undeserved loss.

Hendricks’ only issue came in the bottom of the 2nd with a single and a walk to put two on with nobody out for Michael Conforto. The Giants outfielder singled to right to score the first run of the game and a David Villar sacrifice fly later in the inning made it a 2-0 lead.

The Cubs had their only offense against opener Randy Rodríguez in the top of the 3rd. Nico Hoerner walked, stole second base, and scored on a two-out single by Michael Busch to cut the deficit in half.

Neither team did much of anything the next five innings as Hendricks and a litany of San Francisco relievers kept the bats quiet. Colten Brewer came on in relief for Chicago in the 8th and was bad for a second consecutive night, eventually giving up three runs as the home team went on to win 5-1. (Box score)

Key Moment

Unlike Monday’s game, the Cubs did not strand a dozen runners in scoring position because they rarely even got anyone to second base. They only had three at-bats with RISP on Tuesday and produced only eight total baserunners.

Why the Cubs Lost

A complete lack of hitting was the culprit in this one, though any slim chance for a comeback was wiped away by the bullpen.

Stats That Matter

• It’s nice to see Hendricks pitch so well even if the rest of his team continues to look lousy: 7 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 4 K, and 1 BB.
• The Cubs had no extra-base hits in this game.

Bottom Line

Same old story for the North Siders in this one: A good starting pitching performance wasted by the bullpen and an impotent lineup. That outcome has become quite common in 2024 and there isn’t really much more to say about it. At this point, it’s a surprise when they didn’t look completely flat and indifferent. I’m not holding my breath for different results.

On Deck

Same time, same place Wednesday night for game three of the series at 8:45pm CT. The Cubs will start Hayden Wesneski in a bullpen game (what could go wrong?) and Hayden Birdsong makes his MLB debut for the Giants in a matchup available on Marquee and 670 The Score.