Poor, aggressive baserunning decisions prove costly in Cubs' 5-4 loss

Poor baserunning decisions cost the Cubs a winnable game in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Reds. After right fielder Seiya Suzuki doubled to left field in the ninth inning, third base coach Willie Harris sent third baseman Nick Madrigal home. But Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz was the relay man and threw a 93.3-mph rocket to home plate to catcher Tyler Stephenson for the out.

Harris — who always has an aggressive mindset — sensed an opportunity to score and tie the game. The play backfired. Instead of having runners on second and third with one out and first baseman Cody Bellinger up to hit, it was just Suzuki on third with two outs. Bellinger flew out to end the game.

It’s a questionable call when you factor in that Madrigal is in the 58th percentile for sprint speed, according to Baseball Savant.

“Willie has been fantastic, and his aggressiveness has got us a lot of runs this year,” said manager Craig Counsell, who earned his second ejection this season protesting whether or not a ball hit Madrigal during his at-bat. “It didn't work this time.”

Harris said he felt confident in the send because of left fielder Jacob Hurtubise’s arm strength and because with Bellinger up in the lineup, he figured the Reds would walk him. Harris said he wouldn’t make that decision again.

“I'm trying to score right there,” Harris said. “It didn't work out for us, unfortunately. But you have to be aggressive; you have to try to score runs.”

Harris took accountability for shortstop Dansby Swanson’s baserunning gaffe in the fourth inning. With two outs, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong singled on a groundball to second baseman Jonathan India, who made a diving stop and threw to third base. Swanson came too far around third base and was tagged out to end the inning.

“Coming around third, if that ball scoots through centerfield or he bobbles it a little bit, we're safe at home, but he made a play,” Harris said. “It's the big leagues, they make plays sometimes and sometimes it doesn't work out for us. Today, it was one of those days where it didn't work out for me particularly.”

It’s been a frustrating May for the Cubs, who finished the month at 10-18. The margin for error for the Cubs is small, especially when they’re making errors running the bases. There’s not much the Cubs are doing right at the moment. The bullpen gave up three runs Friday, the defense is ranked 25th in defensive runs saved (-13), and the offense is scoring below league average.

But the baserunning miscues are inexcusable because they’re the one aspect of the game the team and players can control. Entering Friday’s game, the Cubs had the second-most outs on base in the majors (25).

“With Willie, we've sent runners aggressively, and that's gotten us runs,” Counsell said. "The play at third with Dansby, that's a tricky play. Now, there's been some others throughout the season that we made some mistakes for sure.”

Their struggles with runners in scoring position (2-for-12) continued Friday. The team has to clean up the sloppiness on the base paths. It’s one thing to lose; it’s another to beat yourself. Whether it’s the bullpen, the sluggish offense or baserunning miscues, the Cubs continue to give away games within their grasp.

“Moving forward, I'll be less aggressive with one out, knowing the situation a little bit better,” Harris said. “But today, it's on me. I know those guys in the clubhouse; they know me, and they know I'm for them. They'll pick me up tomorrow.”