Cubs lose – The Cubs dropped their 10th straight game Tuesday night, falling 12-1 to the Pirates after Pittsburgh jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. Craig Counsell was ejected in the top of the ninth as Chicago struggled again with runners in scoring position a
PITTSBURGH — Jed Hoyer arrived in town Tuesday, looking less like a visiting executive and more like a man stepping into a storm.
Usually, Cubs president of baseball operations don’t show up on the road unless the situation is already unraveling. This time, the unraveling was immediate. The Cubs lost their 10th straight game Tuesday night. 12-1. in a defeat that was as one-sided as any in a streak that has been drawing bafflement and aggravation back home.
The Pirates started fast and kept pressing. They led 5-0 after the first inning, 8-1 after five, 9-1 after six, 10-1 after seven, and 12-1 after eight. In the top of the ninth, manager Craig Counsell was ejected.
Before the game, Hoyer tried to offer a steady message to a team that has been unable to break out of its slide. He said the cold stretch didn’t match the pattern of last season, even though it’s the same group of players.
“I’m sure at some point in my career we had hot streaks and cold streaks within the same season like this. but definitely not in the first third of the season. It’s really been the antithesis of last season, with the same group of players. We won five in a row the first week of the season when we came back from Japan. and never won five in a row again.”.
He noted that the Cubs had never been swept in a series until August and never lost four in a row until after they clinched a playoff spot. “We were kind of a metronome all summer, never hot, never cold,” he said. “and basically the same group of players has been exactly the opposite [this season].”
Hoyer’s explanation leaned on baseball’s unpredictability rather than a breakdown of fundamentals. “I think it speaks more to the randomness of our game than it does any characteristic of our players. because these same players were amazingly consistent last year. so there’s not much to process in a way.”.
“We just have to play better baseball and realize that literally, we’ve played 33 percent of the season. We’ve got a long way to go, and we’ve got to have a lot more hot streaks than these streaks the rest of the way.”
The remarks landed in a world of fans who are no longer content with talk of “randomness.” Hoyer acknowledged the frustration and the search for answers taking place both inside the clubhouse and out.
“Everyone’s frustrated, everyone’s searching, everyone’s trying to be find solutions,” he said. “I think trying to ask those questions, but also lending support, certainly that’s why I’m here right now.”
“It’s frustrating, especially when we got off to such a great start, to follow it with this. Like everyone [in the clubhouse] knows we’re going to play better. It’s just a matter of when and how it’s going to shake out.”
He also pointed to how the Cubs’ struggles have shown up most clearly when games are decided—when opportunities come with runners on base. In his view, the slump isn’t being driven by one player or one issue so much as by everyone falling into the same stretch.
“The Cubs’ overall numbers, Hoyer said, aren’t far from internal projections before the season. ‘I think right now, we have really everyone slumping. This is what happens when everyone goes into a pretty deep slump at once.’”
Then he described the contrast in a way that sounded familiar to anyone who’s watched the Cubs miss at-bats with the bases occupied.
“I think right now there’s a hyperawareness of our struggles and our situation…When you’re hitting with runners in scoring position, you look fantastic. When you’re not. You look terrible.”
On Tuesday night, the Cubs’ RISP numbers matched the grim narrative. In the “Final score, RISP division: Terrible 1, Fantastic 0,” they were 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.
The day’s injuries and roster plans added another layer to the uncertainty. Matthew Boyd is scheduled to make a rehab start in Iowa on Sunday, Counsell said. Justin Steele was examined by Dr. Keith Meister, and will continue his strengthening program; he is not expected back until well after the All-Star break.
Even on a day when results were brutal, there were moments Chicago could point to in their own hitting.
Pete Crow-Armstrong struck three line drives Monday that were caught by Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz. One came in the third inning with an exit velocity of 105.2 miles an hour. He hit another line drive in the fifth caught by Horwitz, at 101.3 miles an hour. In the seventh, he scorched a 100.9 mph ground ball that Horwitz snagged.
“I might have given Spencer Horwitz the Gold Glove,’’ PCA said. “I couldn’t miss him, man…I just think it’s important after a day like today to remind myself that eventually those turn into hits.”
What makes Tuesday night sting isn’t just the score—it’s the way the Cubs keep finding themselves backed into the same corner: early deficits, chances that don’t turn into crooked-number innings, and a team that knows it’s capable of better but hasn’t been able to summon it yet.
Chicago Cubs Pittsburgh Pirates Jed Hoyer Craig Counsell 12-1 loss 10-game skid RISP Matthew Boyd rehab Justin Steele injury update Pete Crow-Armstrong
10th straight is wild. Cubs are cursed or something.
Wait they scored 1? Like literally 1 run the whole game? That’s brutal. Getting ejected in the 9th too like of course.
Counsell got tossed but it’s mostly on the team hitting, right? I dunno, I feel like the Pirates pitcher must’ve had them figured out from the jump. Also Hoyer showing up doesn’t mean anything unless they fix whatever is happening with runners in scoring position…
12-1 and they were already down 5-0 first inning?? That’s like game over before it starts. This reminds me of when my brother said the Cubs should’ve just traded everybody, like maybe Counsell is the problem? But then they say Hoyer came in “a storm” lol like it’s some movie. Anyway hope they don’t get swept again.