A Rough Night at Wrigley. Time to Bounce Back.
Monday night in Chicago was ugly from the jump. Ryan Johnson ran into a wall at Wrigley Field, the offense went ice cold against a pitcher nobody feared, and the Angels dropped the series opener to the Cubs 7-2. It was the kind of game where nothing went right and the best thing you can say about it is that it's over.
Johnson lasted just three and a third innings, giving up seven hits and six runs while walking four batters. That's 80 pitches in 3.1 innings — the kind of outing that burns through a bullpen and leaves a bad taste. It wasn't one bad inning like Saturday in Houston. It was an extended struggle that had the Cubs in control from the first pitch. Three runs in the first, three more in the third, and the game was effectively decided before the Angels had even warmed up offensively.
Edward Cabrera was the story on the other side. The Cubs' new acquisition — acquired from Miami in January — was masterful in his Chicago debut. Six innings, one hit, zero runs, five strikeouts. The Angels simply had no answer for him. A .161 batting average on the night, zero hits with runners in scoring position, and just five hits total. The offense that had been scorching hot through the Houston series went completely quiet.
Yoán Moncada provided the only real bright spot, smacking a two-run homer in the seventh that at least put something on the board. But by that point it was 7-0 and the damage was long done.
The bigger picture here is the Ryan Johnson conversation. Like Kochanowicz before him, Johnson is a young pitcher still finding his footing at the big league level. Four walks in three innings is simply not going to cut it. The command has to improve. When you're giving hitters free passes and falling behind in counts, even a lineup that's been struggling early — the Cubs dropped two of three to Washington to open their season — is going to make you pay.
The good news is that José Soriano takes the mound Tuesday night. After his dominant Opening Day performance the Angels desperately need him to stabilize things and give the offense a chance to wake up. Wrigley Field in late March can be a tough environment but Soriano has the stuff to navigate it.
Two losses in a row heading into Tuesday. The schedule doesn't get easier. But this is a team with too much talent to stay cold for long. Bounce back time.
