Errors Continue to Cost Cubs in Close Games

SOUTH BEND, IN - Friday night's ballgame was tough to watch for many die-hard South Bend Cubs fans as the hometown Cubs had as many errors as they had hits while dropping their second game in a row 5-4 to the Lansing Lugnuts.

In the second game of a four game series at Four Winds Field, the Lansing Lugnuts squeaked past the Cubs while scoring the decisive run in the ninth inning to take a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Originally, it looked like South Bend's sixth inning one-run 3-2 lead might hold up if the Cubs' bullpen could keep pitching with their usual effectiveness, but an eighth inning throwing error surrendered the lead and put the nail in the coffin as South Bend could not overcome their mistakes in the field.
When combined, both teams tallied eight errors in nine innings of play. South Bend picked up five of the eight errors, two of which came from the pitching staff, which proved to be the costly mistake that led to their one-run loss.
STRUGGLING OFFENSE: As of late, the South Bend Cubs offense has not been producing like it once did in their last series against Lansing. When the two teams faced off at Cooley Law School Stadium in April they combined to score 56 runs in three games. That total included nine home runs, eight triples, and 17 doubles with a whopping 50 RBI's.
South Bend would go on to pick up five total hits while leaving 15 runners on base. While the Cubs offense had their share of opportunities with so many runners on the base paths, the Lugnuts pitching staff worked out of jams with runners in scoring position four separate times to keep the margin just close enough for Lansing to pull out the victory.
WHAT HAPPENED: After only collecting four hits in the first game of the series, South Bend capitalized as Wladimir Galindo's would-be groundout was misplayed by the Lugnuts and produced a run scoring opportunity for the Cubs.
The opportunity, which put runners on second and third base with two outs in the first inning, did not play out in the Cubs favor. With Kevonte Mitchell at the plate, the Lugnuts narrowly escaped the jam on a called strike three after Mitchell could not check his swing.
In the second inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., son of former MLB MVP Vladimir Guerrero, scored on Bradley Jones' single to second base to put Lansing on top 1-0.
Guerrero Jr. has been giving the Cubs trouble also season long. In three games played against the Chicago Cubs' Class-A affiliate prior to tonight's ballgame, the power-hitting right-hander was hitting .385 (5-13) with two doubles and a home run.
In the third inning, South Bend matched their run total from the previous night scoring their first run of the game to tie the Lugnuts 1-1. In order to score the run, Zack Short earned his Midwest League leading 32^nd walk to reach first base with one out. After Short stole second base, Yeiler Peguero singled to tie the game 1-1.
The game would remain tied until Lansing took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth inning on Jake Thomas' groundout to score J.B. Woodman. One inning later, the Cubs staged a minor comeback on D.J. Wilson's two-RBI single to take a 3-2 lead, but John Michael Knighton's throwing error in the eighth surrendered two runs to put the Lugnuts up 4-3.
Lansing then added to the lead with another run in the ninth that proved to be the deciding run after the Cubs' rallied with two outs in the bottom of the inning cut the game to a 5-4 Lansing lead. Down to their last out with the bases loaded, Yeiler Peguero flew out to right field to end the game with the game-tying run only 90' away.
WHAT'S NEXT:
Cubs: Tyson Miller will take the bump tomorrow evening in game three for the South Bend Cubs. He is 2-3 with a 4.15 ERA in 2017. In his last start, which came against the Eastern Division leading Dayton Dragons, Miller received the loss despite holding the Dragons to two earned runs over 5.0 innings pitched.
Lugnuts: Lansing will send Mike Ellenbest to the mound as they look to keep winning at Four Winds Field. With seven games already under his belt, Ellenbest is 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA.
Photo credit: Emma Reese