The Cubs and Cardinals got together in the second game of their series at a steamy Wrigley Field Saturday afternoon. Chicago attempted to engineer a win with a bullpen game and came close before one bad inning did them in and St. Louis prevailed
Drew Pomeranz served as the opener for the North Siders, walking two hitters and giving up a single before exiting with the bases loaded and one out. Chris Flexen entered and allowed a two-run single to Thomas Saggese that gave the Cards a 2-0 lead.
Michael Busch stayed red-hot, hitting a solo home run off of Matthew Liberatore to cut the Cubs’ deficit to 2-1 in the 2nd. Nolan Gorman answered back with a homer off of Flexen in the 4th that got the Cards’ advantage back up to 3-1.
Chicago got that one back in the bottom of the frame on an RBI groundout by Ian Happ. The home team went on top 4-3 against reliever Kyle Leahy in the bottom of the 6th via an RBI single by Nico Hoerner and a wild pitch. Carson Kelly tacked on an insurance run with a solo dinger against Steven Matz in the 7th.
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Brad Keller had a disastrous five-run inning that gave the Cardinals the lead in the top of the 8th. Alec Burleson went deep, then Gorman hit a game-tying single to even things at five. The big blow came when pinch-hitter Yohel Pozo crushed a go-ahead three-run homer that put St. Louis in front 8-5.
Seiya Suzuki doubled home a run in the bottom of the frame, but that was pretty much it as the Cards finished off the 8-6 victory. (Box score)
Key Moment
There was miscommunication between Keller and Kelly on a bunt single by Lars Nootbaar in the 8th. Neither player attempted to field it, resulting in two runners on base with one out. The Cardinals would go on to score four more in the frame.
Why the Cubs Lost
This was one of the rare times in 2025 when the bullpen did not have a good performance, and it was the difference in this one.
Stats That Matter
- Busch ended up a triple short of the cycle and looks great.
- Kelly had a double in addition to his homer.
- Pomeranz allowed his first two runs of the season on Saturday.
Bottom Line
The Cubs had to scramble after losing Jameson Taillon to a calf injury the day before he was supposed to start. Going with a bullpen game is a dicey possibility on any day, especially when the wind is howling out at Wrigley. Chicago could not pull it off, but they can still take the series with a win on Sunday. Also, Busch should start getting more opportunities against left-handed pitchers.
On Deck
The rubber match of the series is Sunday night at 5:10pm CT. Matthew Boyd takes on Erick Fedde in a game televised exclusively on ESPN with the radio feed on 670 The Score.
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