Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (6/28/24): Brewers 4, Cubs 2 – Grand Slam Decisive in Another Sloppy Loss

The Cubs returned to their losing ways Friday night against the first-place Brewers. It was an unusual contest where both teams scored all their runs in the 4th inning, but Milwaukee came out ahead thanks to a grand slam.

Seiya Suzuki got Chicago on the board off of Colin Rea in the top of the 4th with a line drive solo home run right inside the left-field foul pole. Dansby Swanson doubled the lead with a run-scoring single three batters later.

Jameson Taillon had his only trouble in the bottom of the frame with a walk, catcher’s interference, and an infield single that he deflected with his glove to load the bases with two outs. Jackson Chourio then hit a high fly ball to left field that just barely cleared the fence for a go-ahead grand slam.

That would be it for the scoring the rest of the way. The Cubs did load the bases in the 7th inning but pinch-hitter Patrick Wisdom flew out to end the threat and there was no more drama after that as the Brewers won 4-2. (Box score)

Key Moment

The Brewers did not have much going with two outs in the 4th before Miguel Amaya‘s catcher’s interference error. Amaya has offered almost nothing with the bat and has had great problems throwing out runners. This is his second catcher’s interference and the Cubs cannot keep giving away runs like this.

Why the Cubs Lost

The offense did very little and sloppy play led to another big inning that was the deciding factor.

Stats That Matter

• Taillon made a single mistake Friday, but his defense made it very costly: 6 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 5K, and 1 BB.
• The Cubs had two hits after the 4th inning and one of them was a bunt.

Bottom Line

Everybody deserves some of the blame for the current mess in Chicago: The front office for not getting enough impact talent on the roster; a big-money manager who is currently leading one of sloppiest teams in the league; the players that continue to make egregious mental mistakes every single day. It’s just incredibly frustrating all around.

On Deck

Game two of the series is Saturday at 3:10pm CT. Justin Steele and Tobias Myers are on the mound in a matchup available on FS1, Marquee, and 670 The Score.