Right fielder Jason Heyward accepted blame early Monday morning for not making a catch in the sixth inning that put more pressure on his Cubs teammates.
Manager Joe Maddon continues to be baffled by the lack of solid contact by his talented but underachieving lineup.
And for the second consecutive game, reliever Luke Farrell absorbed the scrutiny after allowing a walk-off home run.
The Cubs will have a short time to digest their shortcomings that led to their fifth consecutive loss – a 4-3 setback to the rival Cardinals in 14 innings that extended their losing streak to five games.
The frustration reached a zenith when Heyward broke quickly to the right field corner and leaped high, only for Dexter Fowler’s deep drive to elude his glove and barely clear the fence for a two-run game-winning home run.
“Not close enough,” Heyward said after slowing trotting off the field while the Cardinals celebrated their three-game sweep of the Cubs in a game that lasted four hours, 46 minutes and was interrupted twice by rain delays that lasted an additional 59 minutes.
Heyward, however, was more upset at not catching a line drive by Kolten Wong in the sixth. Heyward attempted to make a sliding catch, but the ball sailed over his glove and allowed Jedd Gyorko to score the tying run.
“I didn’t help us win the game tonight,” said Heyward, who rejected the idea that the lights caused him to lose sight of the ball. “That’s on me. That ball should have been caught. They were able to tie it up, and we played a lot of baseball over that.
“It should have been caught. I didn’t catch it.”
But for the 10th time in 11 games, the Cubs scored three runs or fewer that caused no margin for error. They were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position despite a lineup that included Willson Contreras at the leadoff spot for the first time.
After Addison Russell hit a double in the sixth, the Cubs didn’t collect another hit until Heyward’s single with two out in the 12th. Heyward advanced to third on a single by Ben Zobrist, but he was left stranded as Contreras grounded to third.
“We’ve been void of hard contact,” Maddon said. “A lot of soft hit balls on the infield. We’re just not driving the baseball. That’s pretty much it. You can slice this any way you want. Luke gave up the homer, but we have to strike the ball with more consistency.
“Everyone is trying to get it done, and that’s what happens in these moments. You just got to ride them out. You’re going to come out on the other side, and we will, but for now it’s frustrating to watch.”
The lack of offense offset a respectable pitching performance by Jon Lester, who endured the two rain delays but was pulled after 5 1/3 innings and 87 pitches.
Farrell was the seventh reliever used by the Cubs, who didn’t have the services of Pedro Strop after he threw two innings in Saturday’s 8-6 loss in 10 innings.
Farrell was one out away from getting the save before Harrison Bader hit a hard grounder that Baez was able to stop at deep short, but he threw high and wide of first base. Fowler then pulled a 2-2 pitch down the line that went just deep enough to clear the fence.
“I had a couple of opportunities to close out the at-bat, but I didn’t do it,” Farrell said. “You try to learn from it. There’s not a whole lot you can do. It’s certainly a low point, that’s for sure.”
Baez put Farrell in a position to earn the save by hitting a home run off Mike Mayers with two out in the top of the 14th. It was the 13th consecutive solo home run hit by the Cubs.
Baez now has the distinction of hitting home runs in the 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th innings in his career. His 14th inning homer occurred moments after he needed to stretch his back. Baez said his back cracks frequently “any time,” from batting practice to during games.
still not completely hot,” . “We got to keep battling and making adjustments,” said Baez, who homered in consecutive games for the second time this season. “The season is pretty long.”
Twitter @MDGonzales
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