Free passes sink Jordan Wicks’ begin as Cubs lose 4-2 to Mariners to open sequence

SEATTLE – Cubs lefty Jordan Wicks is getting swing-and miss, particularly on his changeup and slider. However he has but to make it deep right into a recreation this season.

“Lots of the stuff that we labored on coming into the season, and so far as the four-steam and the breaking balls and stuff like that –all that stuff is nice,” Wicks mentioned after the Cubs’ 4-2 loss to the Mariners on Friday. “However we won’t nonetheless neglect who I’m and neglect what makes me actually good. And I really feel like a bit little bit of that we have gotten away from, and we have sort of seen the results.”

Free passes sunk Wicks’ third begin of the season and lifted his pitch depend. The Mariners scored all their runs towards Wicks, who pitched 4 innings, tied a profession excessive with 4 walks and hit a batter for the primary time in his younger major-league profession. The Cubs dropped to a 1-3 report on this West Coast highway journey.

“Primarily the sport boiled right down to a few possibilities the place he was forward within the depend, and ended up in two walks and successful by pitch,” supervisor Craig Counsell mentioned after the sport.

The primary of these situations got here within the second inning. Wicks had loaded the bases with no outs, however then he struck out Cal Raleigh and induced Dylan Moore to fly out.

Luis Urías was up subsequent, and Wicks bought to a 1-2 depend towards him. Urías fouled off 4 straight pitches, batting to maintain the at-bat alive. Then Wicks hit him with a slider, pushing the primary run of the sport throughout the plate.

Wicks bought out of the inning with none extra injury.

“He ought to take that in as a optimistic as a result of he was capable of get rid of an enormous inning,” veteran catcher Yan Gomes mentioned. “However on the identical time, we have been getting behind a variety of guys, we have been utilizing a variety of pitches that we did not must – and I imply nipping on the zone, not pitch choice.”

Take a look at how Moore’s stroll within the fourth inning performed out.

Wicks had already walked Mitch Garver to steer off the inning, that point falling behind within the depend early. So, there was a runner on first with one out.

Wicks threw back-to-back fastballs on the prime of the zone and bought Moore to foul them off. Up 0-2, Wicks buried a changeup within the filth – a nice try and get Moore to chase, however no luck. Then Wicks threw three extra low changeups in a row to stroll Moore.

Then once more, dealing with J.P. Crawford with two outs, Wicks bought to an 0-2 depend. He threw a fastball up and out of the zone and a slider within the filth to make it 2-2. He ventured again within the strike zone with a low fastball on the outer third, however Crawford fouled off that pitch. Then Wicks threw a slider and fastball outdoors to stroll Crawford.

“The walks are those that basically drive me nuts,” Wicks mentioned. “I really feel like we have got manner too good of a protection for me to let individuals on by way of stroll. I really feel like I’ve bought to permit our workforce to work behind me as effectively. We have at the very least 4 Gold Glovers behind me; I’ve bought to allow them to do their job.”

The walks prolonged the inning and put runners on base for Julio Rodríguez and Ty France to drive in for a three-run inning.

“He is bought a variety of expertise,” Gomes mentioned. “He is undoubtedly bought a reasonably good arsenal that he can simply assault the zone [with] much more. And generally when the strikeouts aren’t coming as simple, we will simply go get an early out. However on the identical time, he does have strikeout stuff.”