Chicago Cubs at Miami

Chicago Cubs at Miami

This is Missed It. Chicago Cubs at Miami, Saturday, September 5, with the Cubs. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a fresh one in Miami. The Chicago Cubs are on the road, taking on the Miami Marlins. We've got a ballgame ahead of us, and we're just getting started. Let's see what we can do tonight.

Innings 1-3

We're underway. Top of the first, and we're already moving. Seiya Suzuki steps in and rips a line drive to left field. Heriberto Hernández can't get to it. It's a single, and Pete Crow-Armstrong is off to second base. Two on, nobody out. That's how you start a road game. We've got something cooking here. But then, Alex Bregman steps up. He hits a ground ball to third. Graham Pauley fields it, steps on the bag, fires to second, and then on to first. Double play. Just like that, the rally is gone. Suzuki is out at second, Bregman is out at first. Two outs, and the inning just dies right there. Crow-Armstrong is stranded. We get nothing in the first. Bottom of the first, and the Marlins are looking to answer. They get a couple of runners on, and Otto Lopez steps in with one out. He hits a ground ball to third. Alex Bregman fields it, steps on the bag, fires to second, and on to first. Double play. Griffin Conine is out at second, Lopez is out at first. Just like that, their threat is gone too. We get out of it. Scoreless after one. Top of the second, we go down in order. Four batters, no runs. Bottom of the second, they go down in order too. Three batters, no runs. We're still scoreless heading into the third. And then, top of the third, Michael Conforto steps in with nobody on and nobody out. He gets a pitch he likes, and he doesn't miss it. That ball is gone. Center field. A solo home run, and we're on the board. One to nothing, Cubs. We keep the line moving. Before you know it, the bases are loaded with two outs. Ian Happ steps in. The pitch comes, and he swings. A sharp line drive to right field. Owen Caissie is there, but he can't get it. The ball gets down. Miguel Amaya scores. Seiya Suzuki scores. Alex Bregman is over to third. It's three to nothing, Cubs. That's a big hit. That's the one that opens this game up. Bottom of the third, the Marlins go down in order. Four batters, no runs. We take a three-run lead into the fourth.

Innings 4-6

Top of the fourth, and we're adding on. Two outs, and Miguel Amaya is on base. Pete Crow-Armstrong steps in and hits a sharp line drive to center field. Jakob Marsee can't get to it. It's a single, and Amaya is coming around to score. Crow-Armstrong is over to second. Four to nothing, Cubs. That's the kind of insurance we like to see. But the Marlins answer in the bottom of the fourth. Otto Lopez steps in with a runner on and nobody out. He hits a line drive to left field. Ian Happ is there, but it gets down. It's a double. Griffin Conine is over to third. They've got something going now. They push two runs across before the inning is over. It's four to two, Cubs. They're right back in it. Top of the fifth, and we're answering back. Two outs, and Michael Busch is on base. Nico Hoerner steps in and hits a line drive to right field. Owen Caissie can't get it. It's a single, and Busch is coming around to score. Five to two, Cubs. We've got the lead back to three. But the Marlins aren't done. Bottom of the fifth, two outs, and Javier Sanoja is on base. Griffin Conine steps in. He gets a pitch he can handle, and he sends it to right field. That ball is gone. A two-run home run. Sanoja scores, Conine scores. It's five to four, Cubs. This game is tightening up. Top of the sixth, and we're trying to get some breathing room. Two outs, and Seiya Suzuki steps in. He works the count, and he draws a walk. That's a good at-bat. But we can't push him across. We strand him. Five to four, Cubs. Bottom of the sixth, the Marlins go down in order. Three batters, no runs. We hold the lead, but it's a one-run game heading into the stretch.

The Stretch

Six innings in, and we're up six to four. It's a one-run game, and it feels like it. The play that turned this half for us was Ian Happ's two-out, bases-loaded single in the third. That was the one that broke it open. That was the one that gave us the cushion we've been living on ever since. We've been trading blows with them since, but we've held the lead. Now we need to close this one out. We need to keep them off the board and find a way to add on. It's all right there in front of us.

The Sequence

This is where the game gets decided. Top of the seventh, we go down in order. Five batters, no runs. We can't add on. We leave it at six to four. Bottom of the seventh, and the Marlins are swinging. Kyle Stowers steps in with one out and nobody on. He gets a pitch he likes, and he sends it to center field. That ball is gone. A solo home run. It's six to five, Cubs. The lead is down to one. And then, Heriberto Hernández steps in. He gets hit by the pitch. A runner on, one out. This is getting tense. They've got the tying run on base. But we settle in. Two outs, two on, and Jakob Marsee steps in. He hits a ground ball to second. Pedro Ramírez fields it, fires to first. Michael Busch is there. Out. Inning over. We get out of it. Six to five, Cubs. Top of the eighth, we go down in order. Three batters, no runs. We can't get any insurance. Bottom of the eighth, and the Marlins are threatening again. Esteury Ruiz steps in with one out and nobody on. He hits a sharp fly ball to center field. Pete Crow-Armstrong is there, but he can't get it. It's a double. A runner in scoring position, one out. This is the moment. We need a stop. And we get it. We strand him. We get out of the inning. Six to five, Cubs. Top of the ninth, we go down in order. Five batters, no runs. We leave it to the defense. Bottom of the ninth. The Marlins get four batters. They get nothing. No runs. The game is over. We hold on.

Wrap-up

Final score, six to five. Cubs win. We came into Miami, we took their best shot, and we walked out with the win. It wasn't pretty. It was tight, it was tense, and it came down to the wire. But we held on. That's what matters. That's a win.

Outro

That was Chicago Cubs at Miami, from the Cubs side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.

Chicago Cubs at Miami

This is Missed It. Chicago Cubs at Miami, Saturday, September 5, with the Marlins. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a beautiful night for baseball here in Miami, and we've got a good one on our hands. The Chicago Cubs are in town to take on our Miami Marlins. The Cubs have the ball first, and we're ready to see what our guys can do against them. The energy is building, the crowd is getting settled in, and it's time for some Marlins baseball.

Top 1: Cubs Strike First, But We Escape

The Cubs come out swinging in the first. Seiya Suzuki steps in with a runner on and no outs, and he lines one to left field. Heriberto Hernández gives chase, but that ball drops in, and Pete Crow-Armstrong moves to second. Runners on first and second, nobody out, and you can feel the tension in the air. This is exactly the kind of spot where we need a big pitch, a big play, something to stop the momentum before it starts. And then Alex Bregman steps in. He gets a pitch he can handle and grounds it to third. Graham Pauley fields it cleanly, steps on the bag, fires to Javier Sanoja at second, who turns it to Griffin Conine at first. Double play. Suzuki is out at second, Bregman is out at first, and just like that, the threat is gone. The crowd erupts. We got out of it. No runs, and the Cubs leave a runner stranded. That's how you start a ballgame.

Bot 1: We Answer With a Twin Killing of Our Own

We come up in the bottom of the first, looking to answer. Griffin Conine gets on base, and with one out, Otto Lopez steps in with two on. He gets a pitch and grounds it to third. Alex Bregman fields it, steps on the bag, fires to Pedro Ramírez at second, who turns it to Michael Busch at first. Double play. Conine is out at second, Lopez is out at first. Just like that, our threat is gone too. It's a scoreless tie after one, and both teams have traded identical gut punches. This one feels like it's going to be a battle.

Top 2 and Bot 2: Quiet Innings

The second inning is a quiet one. The Cubs come up and go down in order, three batters, no runs. We come up and do the same, three batters, no runs. It's still zero-zero, and both teams are trading blows, but neither is landing. You can feel the game building, waiting for someone to break through.

Top 3: The Cubs Break Through

And then it happens. The Cubs come up in the top of the third, and Michael Conforto steps in with nobody on and nobody out. He gets a pitch he likes, and he doesn't miss it. That ball is crushed to center field, and it's gone. Just like that, the Cubs are on the board, one to nothing. The silence in the ballpark is deafening. We needed to hold them, and they got to us first. But they're not done. The Cubs keep the line moving, and before we know it, the bases are loaded with two outs. Ian Happ steps in, and he lines a sharp one to right field. Owen Caissie gives chase, but that ball is by him. Miguel Amaya scores, Seiya Suzuki scores, and Alex Bregman moves to third. It's three to nothing, Cubs, and the air has been sucked out of the building. We needed to get out of that inning, and we couldn't. Now we're chasing.

Bot 3: We Can't Answer

We come up in the bottom of the third, looking to chip away. Four batters come to the plate, but we can't get anything going. No runs, and the Cubs take their three-nothing lead into the fourth. We're down, but we're not out. There's a lot of baseball left, and this team has fight in it.

Top 4: They Add On

The Cubs come up in the top of the fourth, looking to add to their lead. With two outs and a runner on, Pete Crow-Armstrong steps in. He lines a sharp one to center field. Jakob Marsee gives chase, but that ball drops in. Miguel Amaya scores, and Crow-Armstrong moves to second. It's four to nothing, Cubs, and we're in a hole. We needed a shutdown inning, and we didn't get it.

Bot 4: We Start to Fight Back

But we don't hang our heads. We come up in the bottom of the fourth, and Otto Lopez steps in with a runner on and nobody out. He gets a pitch he can drive, and he doubles down the line to left field. Ian Happ gives chase, but that ball is in the gap. Griffin Conine moves to third, and we've got runners on second and third with nobody out. The crowd is starting to stir. This is the spark we needed. We manage to push two runs across in the inning, and just like that, it's four to two. We're still down, but we're clawing our way back. The momentum is starting to shift.

Top 5: They Answer Back

But the Cubs answer right back. In the top of the fifth, with two outs and a runner on, Nico Hoerner steps in. He lines one to right field. Owen Caissie gives chase, but that ball is by him. Michael Busch scores, and it's five to two, Cubs. Every time we take a step forward, they take one back. This is a heavyweight fight, and neither side is backing down.

Bot 5: Conine Goes Yard

We come up in the bottom of the fifth, and we need an answer. With two outs and a runner on, Griffin Conine steps in. He gets a pitch he can handle, and he doesn't miss it. That ball is crushed to right field, and it's gone. Javier Sanoja scores, and just like that, it's five to four. The ballpark is rocking. We're right back in this thing, and the Cubs have to be feeling the pressure now.

Top 6: A Walk and a Run

The Cubs come up in the top of the sixth, looking to steady the ship. With two outs and a runner on, Seiya Suzuki steps in. He works the count, and he draws a walk. The runner on base comes around to score, and it's six to four, Cubs. We needed to hold them, and they got one more. But we're still within striking distance.

Bot 6: We Can't Close the Gap

We come up in the bottom of the sixth, looking to close the gap. Three batters come to the plate, but we can't get anything going. No runs, and we head to the stretch down six to four. We've got three innings left, and we need to find a way.

The Stretch

So here we are, down six to four, and it feels like we've been fighting uphill all night. The play that turned this half was Ian Happ's two-out, bases-loaded single in the top of the third. That was the moment the Cubs broke it open, and we've been chasing ever since. But we've shown fight. Conine's homer in the fifth brought us back, and we're only two runs down. We need one big inning, one big swing, and we're right back in this. The bats are alive, the crowd is behind us, and there's still time.

The Sequence: The Final Push

The game is decided here. Top of the seventh, Cubs up six to four. They come up and go down in order, five batters, no runs. We need to take advantage. Bottom of the seventh, and Kyle Stowers steps in with one out and nobody on. He gets a pitch he can handle, and he doesn't miss it. That ball is crushed to center field, and it's gone. Six to five. The ballpark erupts. We're one run down, and the crowd is on its feet. Heriberto Hernández steps in next, and he gets hit by a pitch. Runner on first, one out. We've got something brewing. The next batter comes up, and with two outs and two on, Jakob Marsee steps in. He gets a pitch and grounds it to second. Pedro Ramírez fields it, fires to Michael Busch at first, and that's the inning. We leave two on, and we're still down one. The chance was there, and we couldn't cash in. Top of the eighth, Cubs come up, three batters, no runs. We need to find a way. Bottom of the eighth, Esteury Ruiz steps in with one out and nobody on. He doubles on a sharp fly ball to center field. Pete Crow-Armstrong gives chase, but that ball is in the gap. Runner on second, one out, and we've got a chance. But we can't bring him home. Four batters come up, no runs, and we head to the ninth still down one. Top of the ninth, Cubs come up, five batters, no runs. They leave it all on the field, and now it's our turn. Bottom of the ninth, we need one run to tie, two to win. Four batters come to the plate, but we can't get anything going. No runs. The game is over.

Wrap-up

Final score, Cubs six, Marlins five. We fought, we clawed, we came all the way back from four down to make it a one-run game, but we just couldn't get that last hit. It's a heartbreaker, plain and simple. We had our chances, and they slipped away. But this team doesn't quit. We'll be back tomorrow, and we'll keep fighting. That's all we can do.

Outro

That was Chicago Cubs at Miami, from the Marlins side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.