The Cubs and the Rays kicked off their series on a warm and sunny day at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon. Chicago’s hitters stepped up to bail out their starting pitcher for a change and helped earn a comeback victory.
Tampa Bay grabbed an early lead against Matthew Boyd when old friend Christopher Morel hit a three-run homer in the top of the 1st inning. The North Siders evened the score with three runs against Shane Baz in the bottom of the 2nd. Dansby Swanson had a hustle RBI double, followed by run-scoring singles from Michael Busch and Ian Happ.
The Cubs went ahead on an RBI triple off the bat of Moisés Ballesteros, and he came home on a groundout by Matt Shaw to make it 5-3 in the 3rd. The Rays got one back from Boyd on an RBI single by catcher Nick Fortes in the 4th inning.
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Happ answered that tally with a solo homer against Edwin Uceta in the bottom of the frame to put Chicago back on top by two, 6-4. The bullpen was brilliant yet again from that point, and the Cubs would eventually win by that same margin. (Box score)
Key Moment
The Cubs’ lineup did an excellent job stringing together hits to even the game in the bottom of the 2nd. It was nice to see them respond positively after falling into an early hole.
Why the Cubs Won
Hitting with runners in scoring position and more great work from the bullpen did the trick on Friday.
Stats That Matter
- It was a rough beginning for Boyd but he was pretty good after that: 5 IP, 4 R, 5 H, 1 K, 2 BB.
- Happ had three hits and remains red hot.
- Nico Hoerner had a single, a triple, and a walk on Friday.
- Ballesteros had a single in addition to his triple in his first start since being recalled.
Bottom Line
The Cubs’ relievers have not allowed a run in the last three games. Having a bullpen that is performing so well right now is a huge plus heading into the playoffs. Chicago still needs more offense, but if they score six runs like they did on Friday, they will be very hard to beat.
On Deck
Game two of the series is Saturday at 1:20pm CT. Colin Rea takes the mound against Drew Rasmussen in a contest available on Marquee with a radio feed on 670 The Score.
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