June 28, 2025
McCullers (1-3) took the loss against the Cubs on Saturday, allowing eight runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out one batter over 3.1 innings.
ANALYSIS
McCullers came off the 15-day IL on Saturday after recovering from a right foot sprain, but he didn't pitch well against a tough Chicago offense. The right-hander walked in a run in the first inning, and after tossing perfect second and third frames, things really fell apart for him in the fourth. The Cubs put seven straight runners on base against McCullers in that inning, and their six hits included three homers and a triple. It was the first time this season that the veteran hurler has given up more than one home run in an outing, and Saturday's start was also his second shortest of the campaign. Discarding two bad blow-ups this season, McCullers has a 2.79 ERA over six starts spanning 29 frames. However, those meltdowns have been really bad -- combined, he's allowed 15 runs across 3.2 innings in that pair of starts. As a result, his season ERA stands at an ugly 6.61.