Tough Start in Chicago
The Angels couldn't get their bats going early on. In the top of the 1st inning, Taylor Ward lined out to third, and after a walk by Nolan Schanuel, Kevin Pillar struck out swinging. Logan O'Hoppe grounded into a fielder's choice, getting Schanuel out at second. Our first inning ended scoreless.Early Trouble for Our Pitching
Things took a negative turn quickly in the bottom of the 1st. After Nico Hoerner and Michael Busch both flied out, Cody Bellinger singled to right. Then, Seiya Suzuki crushed a homer to center, scoring two. Ian Happ walked, and Christopher Morel singled, but Dansby Swanson struck out to leave the score at 2-0 Cubs.Still No Runs for Us
The Angels struggled to put runners on base through the second and third innings. Brandon Drury, Zach Neto, and Miguel Sanó went down in order in the 2nd. In the 3rd, Keston Hiura struck out, Jo Adell flied out, and Taylor Ward also flied out. Cubs later added another run making it 3-0.Defensive Woes and Missed Opportunities
In the top of the 4th, Logan O'Hoppe reached on a fielding error by Suzuki, advancing to second. Brandon Drury walked, but Zach Neto grounded into a fielder's choice. In the bottom, with Miles Mastrobuoni on second due to a ground-rule double, Tomas Nido struck out swinging, and Hoerner lined out. Still 3-0 Cubs.Getting on the Board! 
Finally, in the top of the 5th, the Angels scored! Hiura reached on an infield single, advanced after Adell's ground out, and Taylor Ward singled to bring him home. Sadly, it was the only run for us, but it made the score 3-1. The Cubs added another run in the bottom, making it 4-1.Pitching Changes and Continued Struggles
Hunter Strickland replaced Griffin Canning in the bottom of the 5th, but the Cubs scored again, increasing their lead to 4-1. In the top of the 6th, our offense couldn't capitalize, with Pillar and O'Hoppe grounding out and Drury striking out.A Disheartening Finish
Despite reliever changes (Hansel Robles, Reid Detmers, and Austin Warren), the Cubs chipped in one more run in the 6th. As the game went on, our hitters kept struggling—ending the 8th and 9th innings without impactful at-bats.Conclusion
It was a tough 5-1 loss against the Cubs. Though a valiant effort from Taylor Ward brought in a run, the team couldn't find a rhythm. Let's hope for better results in the next game! Go Angels!
Scoreboard for Angels @ Cubs (July 5th, 2024)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 1 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |