Perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of the Cubs’ underachieving start is the lack of quality starts out of its rotation.
After Jon Leicester’s three-inning emergency start Monday night in the Cubs’ 7-4 loss to the New York Mets, Cubs starters had a 4.52 earned-run average, a significant jump from last year’s collective 3.72 ERA.
Between three rain delays in the first two innings, Leicester allowed four runs on five hits in three innings. He served up a three-run home run to Mike Piazza in the first inning and a solo shot to Kazuo Matsui in the second before the game was delayed for 1 hour, 14 minutes by a downpour.
Former Notre Dame right-hander Aaron Heilman pitched
51 1/43 scoreless innings but left with two men on in the sixth. Jeromy Burnitz’s RBI single off Dae-Sung Koo pulled the Cubs to within three, and Michael Barrett followed with a three-run, game-tying home run.
But the Mets went ahead for good in the eighth on a home run by Doug Mientkiewicz off LaTroy Hawkins. Piazza and Mientkiewicz singled in runs in the ninth off Ryan Dempster.
