In their final game against the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, the Chicago Cubs won 7-6 to sweep the Dodgers and win the season series.
A quiet first few innings
The first two innings would be uneventful for both offenses, especially considering the fireworks from Tuesday night’s affair. But in the third inning, Los Angeles would add a pair of runs on a Teoscar Hernandez single to left that scored Michael Conforto and Austin Barnes.
But as they’ve done all season, the Cubs would be unfazed by the Dodgers’ early lead. In the fourth inning with two men on, Pete Crow-Armstrong would mash his fifth homer of the year to give the Cubs the 3-2 lead.
Crow-Armstrong has been on an absolute tear as of late. He currently ranks third in all of Major League Baseball with 1.8 fWAR so far this season. He is quickly turning into the superstar the Cubs hoped he could be.
A back-and-forth affair
In the top of the fifth inning, Mookie Betts would double to left, which scored Miguel Rojas which tying the game. A few batters later, Hernandez would homer again to give his Dodgers a two-run lead.
But in the bottom half of that inning, the Cubs responded once again. Dansby Swanson, who is working his way out of a slump, singled to score both Ian Happ and Kyle Tucker. Michael Busch would score from third on a sacrifice fly from Nico Hoerner, then Swanosn would score with another Crow-Armstrong hit. The Cubs took a 7-5 lead going into the sixth inning.
Cubs starter Matthew Boyd surrendered a homer to Andy Pages, but afterwards wouldn’t allow any damage in the sixth and would end his night after getting Shohei Ohtani to pop out to short.
On the night, the left-hander pitched well. He would register a quality start by allowing just three earned runs in his six innings of work. He has been a great addition this season for a depleted Cubs rotation.
Cubs’ bullpen to the rescue
From there, it was up to the Cubs’ bullpen to shut down a dangerous Dodger lineup and secure the win. The trio of Daniel Palencia, Julian Merryweather, and Porter Hodge did exactly that, allowing just one baserunner between the three of them.
The Cubs advance to 16-10 on the season. They have also taken four straight games against the Dodgers and have played great baseball despite the toughest schedule in MLB to begin the season. Thankfully, they no longer have to play any of the top three teams in the National League West division for the remainder of the season.
The Cubs will have an off-day on Thursday before starting a two-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at home on Friday. The Phillies will be looking to rebound after getting swept on the road by the Mets.
Chicago is expected to start Colin Rea on Friday, who has done well to transition from long reliever to member of the rotation. The Phillies will send Taijuan Walker to the bump, with the hopes he can continue his nice start to the season.
Cubs sweep Dodgers and win 7-6 – Game 26 Recap