Column: Chicago Cubs hope to rebound from Seiya Suzuki’s gaffe with time running out in the wild-card race

ATLANTA — It was merely a coincidence the song “Loser” played over the speakers in the visitors clubhouse at Truist Park on Wednesday afternoon, a day after the Chicago Cubs’ heartbreaking loss to the Atlanta Braves.

Someone just liked the catchy ’90s song and put it on the playlist.

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The Cubs had no choice but to pick up the pieces from a game lost Tuesday night after Seiya Suzuki’s gaffe in right field, a moment that conjured up one of the greatest examples of the so-called Cubs curse — Brant Brown’s dropped fly ball during the final days of the 1998 wild-card chase.

But they fell apart at the seams for a second straight night, blowing leads in the eighth, ninth and 10th innings in a heartbreaking 6-5, 10-inning loss. Ozzie Albies’ run-scoring single off Daniel Palencia was the fatal blow.

“It’s just a relentless lineup,” center fielder Cody Bellinger said. “We know we’ve played baseball and came out on the short end of it twice. But we’re staying competitive and playing good baseball ourselves. We’ve just got to keep on rolling.”

But the Cubs loss, coupled with the Miami Marlins split in a doubleheader with the New York Mets, left them tied for the third National League wild-card spot with four games left. With no tiebreaker game, the Cubs need to finish one game ahead of the Marlins to get into the postseason.

Manager David Ross said before the game they just play by the rules.

“Well, that’s just what it is,” he said. “Should’ve beat them during the season, right? Rules are rules. I don’t make them.”

Cubs President Jed Hoyer speaks with the media before a game against the Pirates on Sept. 19 at Wrigley Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

It might seem like everything that could go wrong has for the Cubs, but president Jed Hoyerpointed out before the game there was no curse in Boston or with the Cubs. He was under the impression fans had moved past those kinds of moments after they won the World Series in 2016.

“Ultimately I would hope that the real benefit of ‘16 is people believing good things can happen,” he said. “If we’re good enough we’ll win. The supernatural is not causing missed fly balls to Brant Brown and Seiya Suzuki. What I learned in Boston and learned here is if the team is good enough and gets the breaks at the right moment, you can win and so can we. I don’t even think about that stuff.

“When I heard about (comparisons with Brown’s dropped fly ball) I kind of laughed. I was like, ‘Oh, man, I thought we graduated from that.’ Apparently not.”

As Hoyer spoke I noticed his hair seemed a little grayer than last week in Chicago when I had asked his reaction to the crushing 13-inning loss on Sept. 16 in Arizona.

Hoyer, 49, ran his fingers through his hair and said he was hoping for a “total gray” look.

“At this point, it’s like ‘go for it,’” he said. “So maybe it’s a good thing.”

“Go for it” is as good a motto as any for the Cubs as they enter the final days of the regular season. This roller-coaster ride has been tough on everyone, including the guy who put the team together.

Every week seems to bring another heartbreaking loss that could mean the end of their postseason dreams. And every week they live to fight again.

But time is running out, and if the Cubs don’t make it to the postseason, Suzuki’s error might become as infamous as Brown’s drop in ’98 and Don Young’s botched fly ball in 1969.

Wednesday’s game featured more gut-wrenching moments. Nico Hoerner’s errant throw on a potential double-play grounder brought home a run in the seventh. Yan Gomes made a wild throw in the eighth that seemed aimed at shortstop instead of second base. Mark Leiter Jr. served up a game-tying home run to Marcell Ozuna in the ninth before Pete Crow-Armstrong made an ill-advised diving catch attempt that turned a single into a double.

Ross didn’t have to do anything rash like call a meeting to tell players everything was OK. He spoke with Suzuki and others individually to remind them to keep their heads up.

“Just check the pulse of certain guys, and everybody seemed to be in a good space,” he said, including Suzuki, who went 0-for-4 with a walk.

[ [Don’t miss] Chicago Cubs’ blown game in Atlanta is a blast from the past — the 1998 Brant Brown ‘Oh, no!’ drop ]

There was no time for anyone to feel sorry for themselves even if they wanted to sulk. Dansby Swanson said the Cubs have shown time and again that a single loss, no matter how crushing, doesn’t carry over to the next day.

“One thing that we’ve done so well all year is the ability to bounce back and face adversity,” he said before Wednesday’s game. “(Tuesday) night was just another example, and we have another opportunity today to come back and perform how we’re capable. It stings, obviously, how it ended. But a favorite coach of mine always said: ‘Life is about 10% what you do and 90% how you respond.’

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”We’ve embodied that this whole season. Anything and everything that’s happened, you just find a way to be better the next day. Every day you’re just grateful for the option to go at it again.”

As Suzuki strolled the plate in the second inning, the Braves organist played the song “Bad Day,” an ode to positive thinking that includes the lyrics: “You had a bad day, the camera don’t lie, you’re coming back down and you really don’t mind.”

Of course, overcoming a loss such as Tuesday’s is easier said than done, especially at this point of the season.

The Cubs repeatedly point to their resiliency after being 10 games under .500 on June 8 and climbing back into contention. Ross has been the leader of the group through the challenges but continues to be raked over the coals on social media and talk radio for strategy.

“I don’t read it and listen to it,” Hoyer said. “Hopefully he doesn’t either. That’s the nature of that job, right? I was on the radio today and they asked me six questions about last night’s game. I was like, none of the six would’ve been asked if we had won.”

The good things that have happened in 2023 — from Bellinger’s comeback to Adbert Alzolay’s emergence as closer — sometimes have taken a back seat to the bad things, such as blown leads and lack of clutch hitting. Several Cubs pointed out that Suzuki carried the team in August and September, and one error can’t erase the positives of his season.

“I’ve been on this side of it and the other side of it in postseason games,” Bellinger said. “The only thing you can is just wake up and do it all over again and rely on the guys around us. Today, after a tough one yesterday, there’s no doubt in my mind we’re going to go out and compete and give it our best shot.”

Originally Published: Sep 27, 2023 at 7:51 pm

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