CHICAGO, ILL — The Tampa Bay Rays (5-6) kicked off a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs (6-4) on April 18.
A low-scoring affair and cold conditions at Wrigley field results in a Cubs 4-2 win over the Rays.
The Cubs struck early in the series opener with a two-run second inning. Patrick Wisdom blasted his first home run of the year, a two-run shot to give Chicago the early edge.
The Rays evened the scoring with a run in the fourth and fifth inning. Ji-Man Choi and Brandon Lowe provided the Tampa runs with RBI singles.
With a tied score in the bottom of the seventh inning, Ian Happ delivered an RBI single for the eventual winning run.
Frank Schwindel added an insurance run in the eighth inning for the Cubs on a solo home run, his second of 2022.
Pitching Gets the Upper hand
Both starting pitchers in this matchup had quality nights on the mound. The cold temperatures of an early spring Chicago night surely played a role, but a quality pitching duel was on full display.
Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan pitched six innings with nine strikeouts. His only two runs allowed came via the second inning two-run home run from Wisdom.
McClanahan’s counterpart, Kyle Hendricks went four and a thirds innings for Chicago. Hendricks stuck out six batters, allowing five hits and two runs over his outing.
The bullpens for both teams held their opponents in check. The Rays threw three arms out of their bullpen over the course of three innings. Combined they allowed only three hits and two runs.
The Cubs bullpen threw Keegan Thompson for three and two-thirds innings, only allowing one hit while striking out five. Thompson did not give up any runs.
David Robertson closed out the game, picking up his fourth save on the early season. Robertson spent 2021 with Tampa Bay and closed them out for the first time with his new squad. He struck out one batter and did not allow a hit.
Windy City Night
Monday’s game featured very cold weather for the players and fans at Wrigley Field. With the Temperature down to 37 degrees and the feels like of 28 degrees, Chicago did not provide quality baseball weather.
The forecast called for as high as a 50 percent chance of snowfall during the later innings. Luckily for both sides, the snow held off during the ballgame.
The temperatures likely played a role in the lack of offensive production from either side.
Suzuki Stays Hot
Japanese rookie outfielder, Seiya Suzuki has completely lived up to the hype so far in 2022.
Against the Rays in this game, Suzuki went two-for-three at the plate. With his two hits on Monday, he extends his hitting streak to nine games.
The slugging international sensation is batting .429 through 28 at-bats with four home runs and 11 RBIs.
Suzuki is fitting in nicely to the Cubs’ everyday lineup; working to become staple in the middle of the lineup now.
A fast start will be interesting to follow to see the sustainability of Suzuki. So far in the early stages of 2022, nobody has an answer for him.
Up Next
The series continues April 19 in Chicago. The pitching matchup is scheduled for Justin Steele (1-0) for the Cubs and Josh Fleming (1-1) for the Rays.
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