The 5 worst Cubs games of 2022

As I did for yesterday’s “5 best Cubs games of 2022,” these are highly subjective choices. YMMV, as they say.

And again, this is not a ranking, these are simply listed in chronological order. (Though I’m pretty sure you can guess which one would be my “worst.”)

April 29: Brewers 11, Cubs 1

The Brewers hit six home runs off Cubs pitching in this blowout, including three off Kyle Hendricks, perhaps presaging Kyle’s shoulder issues that ruined his 2022 season.

The Cubs scored a consolation run in the seventh on this wild pitch [VIDEO].

That’s Jonathan Villar batting. Doesn’t it seem like it’s been a lot longer than “this past season” since he was on the team?

May 26: Reds 20, Cubs 5

The Cubs actually had a 3-0 lead in this game going into the bottom of the second inning, and then several Cubs pitchers — including position player Andrelton Simmons — kept serving up hit after hit after hit and walk after walk after walk. There were 20 Reds hits and seven walks all told, amazingly enough only two of the hits were home runs and neither of the homers was off Simmons, who allowed five runs in mopup duty.

Former Cub Albert Almora Jr. was given a “hit” on this batted ball off a ridiculously slow pitch by Simmons [VIDEO].

This will not be the slowest pitch you will see in this article.

It was the most runs allowed by the Cubs in nearly 23 years, since they allowed 21 to the Phillies July 3, 1999, and only the 12th time since 1900 the Cubs had allowed 20 or more runs in a game.

To literally add injury to insult, this was the game where Seiya Suzuki suffered the finger injury that kept him out for five weeks [VIDEO].

June 11: Yankees 8, Cubs 0

Matt Swarmer set a Cubs franchise record and tied a MLB record by allowing six Yankee home runs in this game: Two to Aaron Judge and one each by Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, Jose Trevino and Anthony Rizzo.

Here are all six homers [VIDEO].

There might have been a seventh homer off Swarmer if not for this great catch by Christopher Morel [VIDEO].

Stanton’s homer was the longest of the bunch:

The Cubs had five singles in the game and got just two runners past first base, one of those on an error.

Swarmer did pitch a few more games for the Cubs but at 29, I suspect they’ll move on from him this offseason.

June 12: Yankees 18, Cubs 4

The Cubs actually had a lead in this one, too, 1-0 after the top of the first on a solo homer by Ian Happ [VIDEO].

Keegan Thompson, who had made some good starts for the Cubs, faced nine Yankees and retired two of them, the inning going: Single, fly out, walk, walk, walk, double, reached on error, fly out, double.

Thompson was excused for the rest of the afternoon after throwing 37 pitches, but none of the other Cubs real pitchers — Daniel Norris, Alec Mills or Sean Newcomb — did any better. They combined for 6⅓ innings and allowed 12 hits, four walks and 12 runs, including three homers.

That prompted David Ross to send Frank Schwindel out to throw the bottom of the eighth. Kyle Higashioka led off the inning [VIDEO].

Sorry, DingerTracker, that’s not a “curveball.” What it was, was the slowest pitch to be hit for a home run in the Statcast era. (And maybe ever, who knows.)

June 15: Padres 19, Cubs 5

The Cubs had three awful, embarrassing defeats in a stretch of five days (and those were just three of 10 consecutive losses in which they were outscored 90-30).

Once again, they had a lead, in fact led this game after four innings 4-2 thanks to a four-run second inning off Ryan Weathers in which they drew a pair of bases-loaded walks and got a two-run single from Christopher Morel.

Caleb Kilian, who had thrown reasonably well in his first MLB start June 4 against the Cardinals, got hit pretty hard in this one and left after four innings trailing 5-4.

That’s not too bad, right?

Daniel Norris, Rowan Wick and Alec Mills took care of that! They threw 2x innings and combined to allow 12 hits and 11 runs, including a pair of homers. Eric Stout finally entered the game in the seventh and retired all five hitters he faced.

And you’re saying, “Who”?

Here is proof that Eric Stout actually pitched for the Cubs. He struck out Trent Grisham on a slider [VIDEO].

Stout made one more Cubs appearance, which wasn’t as good, and then was sold to the Pirates June 21.

Anyway, the Cubs trailed by 11 runs, 16-5, going into the ninth so it was Frank the Tank’s turn to pitch again.

Luke Voit homered off him — on a pitch nearly twice as fast as the one in New York [VIDEO].

The 19 runs allowed made 2022 the fifth season in Cubs history (since 1900) where they had allowed 19 or more runs twice (also 1922, 1957, 1977 and 1999).

Dishonorable mention games: 15-4 loss to Cardinals June 3, 12-5 loss to Padres June 14 (5-0 lead going into the sixth), 12-1 loss to Pirates June 20 (13 Cubs left on base), 4-3 loss to Cardinals August 4 (3-0 lead going to the bottom of the seventh), 7-0 loss to Brewers (six great shutout innings by Drew Smyly, game scoreless to the bottom of the seventh).