Cubs pull off two-run frame ... on three straight bunts?

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Cubs deployed an unlikely strategy to try to get their offense going in the fifth inning on Thursday night at Tropicana Field: a trio of bunts, one after the other.

The Cubs’ bottom-of-the-order bunt-a-palooza -- two sacrifices and one fielder’s choice play -- resulted in two runs against the Rays, breaking up a scoreless duel between starters Justin Steele and Taj Bradley. But Tampa Bay eventually rallied to score three runs in the seventh inning, without the assistance of a bunt, to escape with a 3-2 victory over the Cubs.

For all that transpired in the series finale, the Cubs’ bunting spree might have been the most unusual development.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time a team had bunted a ball into play in three straight plate appearances within a single inning since the Padres did it on June 17, 2023. The last time it happened before that was by the Royals on Aug. 31, 2019, according to Elias.

“I loved how it worked for us,” Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said. “It’s something you don’t see every day, but it’s an example of finding a way to make things happen and score some runs.”

The Cubs -- who had only four sacrifice bunts all season before Thursday -- started the rally with a pair of singles by Michael Busch and Nico Hoerner, putting runners on first and second with nobody out. Patrick Wisdom then dropped a sacrifice bunt fielded by first baseman Yandy Díaz, who walked Wisdom back to the plate before tagging him out -- a standoff that briefly brought to mind the unforgettable Will Craig/Javier Báez play in Pittsburgh in 2021.

After the game, Rays manager Kevin Cash was asked a question already lobbed his way by pitching coach Kyle Snyder: Had he ever seen anything like that before?

“No, I hadn't. I think the most shocking one was Wisdom,” Cash said of the corner infielder/outfielder with three previous sacrifice hits to his name in 411 Major League games. “He does not look like a guy that bunts very often. That's a big slugger. So when he put a bunt down, you never know what can happen.”

With runners on second and third, Crow-Armstrong dropped another bunt, this one toward third base. The Rays’ Isaac Paredes anticipated the play, quickly scooped up the ball and tossed it to catcher Alex Jackson. But Jackson never secured the ball, so it bounced away as Busch slid home safely.

“I thought we did a nice job. We executed some bunts for sure to get some runs across,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “But in general, they pitched well tonight. We had three singles and three walks. That’s tough.”

The sequence reached another level of absurdity when Yan Gomes came to the plate with runners on the corners. The veteran catcher had only recorded three sacrifice bunts in his career before Thursday, but he dropped another one just in front of the plate. Jackson fielded it, and with nobody covering home, his only play was to throw out Gomes at first. Hoerner dashed home from third, making it a 2-0 game.

“Everybody executed like crazy. It was really cool baseball,” Hoerner said. “We squeezed out a couple of runs. I just wish we could’ve made it stand up.”

For that, the Rays praised Bradley, the young starter who was seemingly unfazed the rest of the night as he struck out 11 batters over seven innings without allowing an earned run -- or a run of any kind that didn’t score on a bunt, for that matter.

“I mean, it was unique. It was definitely unique,” Jackson said. “But nothing changed his plan of attack, and he just kept coming after guys and coming after guys. It was really impressive.”