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The good news is that the Cubs were more than twice as successful on Friday as in their last meeting with the Brewers at Wrigley Field – at a tiebreaker in match 163 to end the 2018 regular season.
The bad news is that the Cubs forgot to score even one pass this time.
As hot as the Cubs have been this month, a 7-0 loss to a division rival in the opening game of the three-game series will not trigger any alarm. The 3-1 defeat of the Cubs' first division last season was a source of frustration for a team whose offense was, as President Theo Epstein said, "broken". It was hardly a passing nuisance.
"It's a loss," said manager Joe Maddon. "Best series out of three. Let's go home, have a good night's sleep and come back [Saturday]. ''
Yasmani Grandal of the Milwaukee Brewers, left, scores in front of Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras in the seventh inning of a baseball game on Friday, May 10, 2019 in Chicago. (AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh)
Nevertheless, he had to bring back familiar and unpleasant feelings to the Cubs – and to the overflowing fans who watched the team win 19 wins in 24 games before this series.
On the other hand, the Cubs (22-14) have lost 11 of their last 15 games against the Brewers (24-16), including this tiebreaker. It would be difficult for anyone to deny that there has been a shift in hierarchy between teams, even though the Cubs are leading the Central League Central by percentage points.
And in far too many head-to-head clashes, the Cubs have been freaked out by the Brewers pitchers. This time it was lefty Gio Gonzalez who was doing the work. He was followed by five up-and-coming members – none of them named Josh Hader, the spectacular leftist who will remain in the state for the rest of the weekend.
"I think in the last year or the last semester, we have not done as well against their pitching staff, in general," Maddon said. "We must understand them."
The Cubs always easily lead the NL differential. Although their 15-match series with at least one lap – the longest of the season since 2002 – is over, there are still too many hitter who make too many good contacts to think that the Friday's performance without a free kick is more than a shock.
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The offensive is certainly not broken.
Nevertheless, what is still a great homeland 6-2 was a little tarnished by a match that looked a lot like one of those miserable 40 in 2018 in which the Cubs offense scored a goal. Three of those 40 ended up with a 2-1 loss to the Rockies in the play card game.
That probably added to the sense of familiarity that Jose Quintana (4-2) took the ball for the Cubs and made his fifth quality start of the season, at the height of his team. Quintana was also on the mound – and started well in match 163.
And the Brewers have won seven straight after a lull that has allowed them to be overtaken in the standings. It's not the unbeatable Brewers team that unified like a titan last season, but it's still an intimidating group.
"It's the best baseball division," said infielder David Bote.
These are not the Cubs at their strongest. Yasmani Grandal threw Jimmy Baez off at third base on the second run. First baseman Anthony Rizzo made a terrible decision to throw home on a ground ball in seventh position; Grandal easily beat the pitch. Receiver Willson Contreras threw a ball into the right field during a first-base try.
There is something about these brewers that makes Cubs look worse than their best.
"We really know how to bounce back," said Bote. "And that's what we will do."
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