Cubs split doubleheader, drop series to Guardians

CLEVELAND — With the wind blowing in and cold temperatures, Progressive Field was the perfect run-suppressing environment for two of the Cubs’ three-game set against the Guardians.

The Cubs won Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader 1-0 but lost Game 2 6-5 when both teams’ offenses erupted.

Sunday was a mixed bag from the Cubs’ pitching staff. Right-hander Edward Cabrera had an uneven start — he didn’t allow a hit until the sixth inning, but issued five walks — yet he allowed just six hard-hit balls and was able to maneuver out of jams. Cabrera ultimately delivered 5 ⅔ scoreless innings, allowing one hit with four strikeouts.

In the second game, left-hander Shota Imanaga threw five innings, allowing one run on three hits, one walk with four strikeouts. This was a complete start for Imanaga, marking a positive development after his first start of the season, which had been sullied by a first-inning three-run homer against the Nationals.

However, the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead in Game 2. Right-hander Jacob Webb allowed three runs in the eighth inning that flipped the game in Cleveland’s favor.

Webb allowed a solo homer to Guardians pinch hitter CJ Kayfus that tied the game 4-4. Webb then allowed a single to Chase DeLauter, walked Rhys Hoskins and allowed another run on a sharp line-drive single by Gabriel Arias before being replaced by Ethan Roberts.

“Jacob just hung a changeup to Kayfus, unfortunately, and then struggled a little bit with the strike zone after that,” manager Craig Counsell said.

One of the biggest question marks for the Cubs was if they had enough starting pitching. Had they advanced past the Brewers in last season’s National League Division Series, the Cubs’ starters were running on fumes. Even the Dodgers were running short on available arms toward the end of their playoff run.

Recognizing their weakness and the cost of starters in free agency, the Cubs traded prized outfield prospect Owen Caissie to the Marlins for Cabrera. Restocking an entire bullpen required the team to sign reliever Phil Maton to a rare multiyear deal.

Taken together, Sunday’s doubleheader showed both the promise and pitfalls of the pitching staff. Game 1 highlighted a defense that supported its pitching staff.

“Both starters from both teams did a heck of a job,” Counsell said. “[Each starter] got into the sixth inning and just did a nice job, so the starters pitched really well.”

Cabrera ran into trouble in the sixth, allowing a leadoff double to Kayfus before recording back-to-back outs after Steven Kwan’s sacrifice bunt moved Kayfus over and DeLauter reached on a fielder’s choice when Hoerner threw home to prevent a run from scoring. It was a heads-up play by Hoerner, who knew the runner on third was going home on contact.

“It’s not easy [to] throw it in the right spot,” catcher Miguel Amaya said of Hoerner’s throw. “I was just ready to catch it wherever he threw it. Thank God it was on the leg of the runner so we could get that out.”

The strength of the Cubs’ team is supposed to be their pitching depth. They don’t have the frontline talent like the Dodgers or Tigers, but this team is built to withstand injuries and give the offense a chance in most games.

In Game 1, the offense scored the bare minimum required. In Game 2, the offense delivered, but the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead, preventing the team from winning their second consecutive series.

Pitching undermined the team last season, and it will be the position group to monitor throughout the season.