(AUDACY) Former White Sox announcer Ken “Hawk” Harrelson would've called this a “can of corn.”
That’s about as bad a play as you’ll see in the big leagues. What you just witnessed was Cubs shortstop Andrew Romine dropping a freebie popup off the bat of White Sox outfielder Luis Robert, extending the inning and allowing the White Sox, who had previously trailed 6-0, to grab a 7-6 lead. Though plenty went wrong for the Cubs on Friday night — you won’t win many games allowing 17 runs (13 of them earned) — Romine’s nightmare performance (two errors, a strikeout and a caught stealing) was no doubt a contributing factor in their loss to the White Sox, who were led by a herculean eight-RBI performance from All-Star catcher Yasmani Grandal -- in his return from the injured list, no less.
Romine’s inexplicable gaffe — par for the course in a month in which the Cubs have lost an embarrassing 19 of 24 games — predictably set Twitter ablaze with exasperated fans lamenting their team’s plight.
You’ll notice a common sentiment among that frustrated contingent. It seems many are of the belief that the Cubs — now a month removed from a trade deadline fire sale that saw established stars Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javy Baez and Craig Kimbrel change uniforms — are packing it in, tanking for a higher pick in the MLB Draft next year.
There’s a palpable tension in the air and one could hardly blame Cubs fans for wanting to rip their hair out amid the team’s worst stretch in years. You might feel betrayed too if your hometown club, after winning its first World Series in a century, took a hatchet to the roster, blowing up the most successful team in franchise history. Unfortunately, baseball has become a cyclical sport in that sense with teams frequently pressing the reset button, rebuilding from scratch once their perceived title window has closed.
It won’t get any easier for the Cubs on Saturday when they step in the box against White Sox ace Lance Lynn (10-3, 2.20 ERA), the prohibitive favorite to win American League Cy Young honors.
LISTEN on the Audacy app
Sign up and follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram