Baseball is back on the North Side of Chicago as the Cubs started the season with a series victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. The first pitch of the MLB season was thrown on a cold and rainy day last Thursday afternoon when Kyle Hendricks toed the rubber for the Cubs, facing the reigning NL Cy Young winner from last year, Corbin Burnes. The Cubs took games one and two before falling in the series finale on Sunday afternoon to start the season tied atop the NL Central.
The long anticipated season opener had the Cubs new look lineup facing one of the best pitchers in the game in Corbin Burnes. Burnes went 11-5 with a 2.43 ERA in 28 starts on his way to winning the Cy Young. Burnes struck out 58 batters before his first walk last season but struggled with his command early in the season opener and gave up three runs in five innings of work.
On the other side, Kyle Hendricks came out and threw 5 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts while giving up just one run in the process.
“Overall, pretty good, being aggressive, setting the tone,” Hendricks said. “I’d still like to do a little better.”
Hendricks had the worst year of his career in 2021 and it put into question whether his best days were behind him. If Thursday is any indication on how this season will go, Hendricks looks like he still has a lot left in the tank.
Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ had the big hits for the Cubs in the win, each recording two RBI. Hoenrner hit the first home run of the MLB season in the 5th inning, lining a 1-1 pitch over the left field wall, breaking the tie and giving the Cubs a 3-1 lead.
After Milwaukee tied it in the seventh inning at 3-3, Ian Happ hit a rocket into right-center field, resulting in a double off the wall with two outs to give the Cubs a 5-3 lead. David Robertson came in and worked a clean ninth inning to give the Cubs their first win of the season.
Game 2
Game two was scheduled for Friday afternoon but the threat of rain and snow forced the game to be postponed to a doubleheader in May. A resulting game two took place on Saturday and the Cubs dominated, leading to 9-0 victory.
The Cubs got a great start out of Justin Steele, going five scoreless innings and striking out five while also picking up the win. He and the bullpen shutout Milwaukee, giving up just four hits in the process. If the Cubs are going to be competitive this season, they will need to rely on the young southpaw to continue to improve and pitch like he did on Saturday.
Steele was followed by Keegan Thompson who went 2 2/3 innings and struck out four. The benches cleared when Thompson hit Andrew McCutchen in the eighth inning with a 2-1 pitch and denied hitting him intentionally after Milwaukee plunked three Cubs earlier in the game.
“Even though it’s a 9-0 ballgame, I’m still out there trying to work on things,” Thompson said. “I’m still working on my windup staying on a good rhythm. I still have trouble with that sometimes.”
There has been a history of bad blood between these two teams over the last few years, a lot of which stems from Wilson Contreras constantly being hit by Brewers pitching, including once in each of the first two games before Thompson hit McCutchen.
The Cubs would face the second of the three headed monster that is the top of the Brewers rotation, this time facing right-hander Brandon Woodruff. Woodruff struggled mightily with his command, and it led to a short outing, going just 3 2/3 innings while giving up seven runs.
Eight of the nine starters in the Cubs lineup had at least one hit, with Ian Happ and Frank Schwindel leading the way with a combined four hits to go along with three RBI. The Cubs took great at-bats all day long and it led to nine runs on 10 hits.
Series Finale
The series finale got off to a hot start as Seiya Suzuki, the highly-coveted superstar from Japan had his coming out party, blasting a towering three-run home run into left-center field, sending Wrigley Field into a frenzy. Suzuki signed a 5-year, $85 million contract last month and he showed why the hype was real all weekend long, recording a hit in every game going 3-8 with six RBI, including that home run.
Marcus Stroman was the other big name the Cubs signed this offseason before the lockout, inking him to a 3-year, $71 million deal. Stroman was great in his Cubs debut, going five innings while striking out three and giving up just one run.
The Brewers did their damage in the 6th inning after Stroman was pulled, as Jesse Chavez gave up three runs in 2/3 of an inning. After the Cubs tied it at 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth, Daniel Norris gave up a home run to Mike Brosseau in what would be the final run scored in the game, giving the Brewers the 5-4 victory.
In a season that many believe the Cubs will struggle to compete for a playoff spot, the players in the clubhouse believe they can be contenders in the NL Central, including team captain Wilson Contreras.
“Man, to be honest, I really believe in the group we have right now,” Contreras said. “Like I told them during our meeting, they’re here for a reason. They earned their spot. And if the front office chose them to be here, it’s because they can do something special.”
It was a great start for both the pitching and the offense against a Brewers team many believe will win the division. The Cubs will head out on the road for their next six games starting on Tuesday in Pittsburgh when they take on the Pirates.
