Cubs Manage Imperfect Game Against Tigers, Lose 5-3

Best laid plans and all, I thought I’d have a pretty good shot at writing a recap of a perfect game, or at least a no-hitter, with Justin Verlander facing a mostly impotent lineup of Chicago Cubs on a beautiful afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Of course, predicting that sort of thing is folly; you can’t. No-hitters and especially perfect games are serendipitous, not the kind of thing you can expect.

So the Cubs got five hits and two runs off Verlander, which is pretty good, all things considered, but lost the game to the Tigers 5-3 primarily because Dale Sveum …