Cubs split doubleheader, drop series to Guardians

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

The Cubs won Game 1 of the doubleheader 1-0 but lost the second game 6-5 when the offenses erupted.

It was a mixed bag from the Cubs’ pitching staff Sunday. Right-hander Edward Cabrera had an uneven start — he didn’t allow a hit until the sixth inning but walked five — but he allowed only six hard-hit balls and was able to maneuver out of jams. Cabrera pitched 5⅔ scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out four.

In the second game, left-hander Shota Imanaga threw five innings, allowing one run, three hits and one walk and striking out four.

But 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.

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

“Jacob just hung a changeup to Kayfus, unfortunately, 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.

This doubleheader showed 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 getting back-to-back outs after Steven Kwan’s sacrifice bunt moved Kayfus over and DeLauter reached on a fielder’s choice when Nico 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 Cubs’ strength is supposed to be their pitching depth.

They don’t have the frontline talent like the Dodgers or Tigers, but this staff 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 hitters delivered, but the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead, preventing the Cubs from winning their second consecutive series.

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