Inside The Cubs

Chicago Cubs Drop Second Straight Against Blue Jays, Despite Stroman's Strong Start

The Chicago Cubs dropped their second consecutive against the Toronto Blue Jays on the heels of a great start from Marcus Stroman.

Kade Kistner

Chicago Cubs Drop Second Straight Against Blue Jays, Despite Stroman's Strong Start
Chicago Cubs Drop Second Straight Against Blue Jays, Despite Stroman's Strong Start /
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The Chicago Cubs looked to even the series on Tuesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays, but luck would not have it, as the Blue Jays downed the Cubs 5-3. 

Marcus Stroman got the ball to start for Chicago and he twirled five innings of one run ball. A great start made even more special by the fact it was Stroman's first time returning to the Rogers Centre since his departure in 2019. 

Things started off well enough as the Cubs put the first run on the board in the fourth inning when Willson Contreras hammered a ball to left-center, a solo shot for his 21st home run of the season. 

The Blue Jays answered accordingly in the bottom of the fifth with a run of their own manufactured by an RBI single from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to tie the game.

Not to be outdone, Chicago once again took the lead the very next half inning as Christopher Morel homered to center for his 13th of the season as well as the 2-1 lead. 

However, the game was put out of reach in the bottom of the sixth inning when Blue Jays right fielder Teoscar Hernández launched a three-run home run to make it a 4-2 ball game, a lead Toronto would never relinquish. 

Brenden Little, who was making his Major League debut, was the culprit in Hernández's home run. Little had a perfect opportunity to showcase his pitch mix that elicited his call-up, but will instead have to hope for another chance to prove himself at the big league level.

This series against the Blue Jays was always going to be a tough one for the re-tooling Cubs, but Tuesday they showed some real fight. 

This is a season in which even a competitive loss to a very good AL East team can be seen as a "win."

The final game of the series will take place on Wednesday with first pitch slated for 6:07 p.m. EST.

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Kade Kistner
KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Cubs. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.

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