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Cubs news: Chicago stunned by Diamondbacks in brutal 9th inning meltdown
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- Cubs news: Chicago stunned by Diamondbacks in brutal 9th inning meltdown
Cubs news: Chicago stunned by Diamondbacks in brutal 9th inning meltdown appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The three-game series between the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks already started off on a sour note for both parties, with the Diamondbacks alleging that the Cubs third base coach was relaying signs to the players — something that starting pitcher Merrill Kelly deemed to be "bush league" . On Tuesday, the Diamondbacks got revenge for the 7-0 loss they suffered in the series-opener, with the Cubs losing in particularly brutal fashion.
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The Cubs entered the ninth inning with a 4-3 lead, and it looked like it was going to go smoothly for them on their way to a victory. A Tim Tawa walk was sandwiched in between lineouts from Nolan Arenado and Ildemaro Vargas , putting the Diamondbacks on their final out of the night. Pinch runner Jose Fernandez then complicated matters for both teams; Fernandez tried to steal second base, and getting caught stealing with two outs would have been a disastrous way to go for Arizona.
In the end, Fernandez was safe on second, and a replay review upheld that call. This simply set the stage for pinch-hitter Ryan Waldschmidt to play the role of the ultimate spoiler for the Cubs, as he hit a walk-off home run off of Jacob Webb to give the Diamondbacks a 5-4 victory.
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Webb did tee up a hanging slider for Waldschmidt, and the Diamondbacks center fielder made no mistakes on that swing. Waldschmidt was a bit of an unconventional pick for a pinch hitter, as he only had two home runs and 19 runs batted in on the season while playing more of a bench role.
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Nonetheless, the Cubs melted down, and they have to take a closer look at how to set up their bullpen moving forward. This was Webb's sixth blown save of the season, and he now has an ERA of 6.43 over his past seven outings.
Related: Diamondbacks end Cubs' unanswered runs streak in anticlimactic fashion
