The Cubs brought out the long ball to even up this series.
DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers are a very good team this year, and they own the best record in MLB.
But you know what, the Chicago Cubs are also a very good team this year, and Saturday they showed why, getting an outstanding start from Jameson Taillon and pounding five home runs in a 6-1 defeat of the Tigers in Comerica Park.
Before I get to the highlights of this game, a bit of history from BCB’s JohnW53:
Here’s a statistic you won’t read anywhere else: the Cubs hit five home runs today among seven total hits. That is the fewest hits they have made in any of the 70 games since 1901 in which they homered five times. Their previous low was eight hits, in an 8-6 loss at home to the Padres on Aug. 10, 2004. They had nine hits and five homers in nine games, the first in 1964 and most recent on May 28, 2019, in a 9-6 loss at Houston.
The Cubs wasted no time taking the lead. After the first two Cubs were routine outs against opener Tyler Holton, Seiya Suzuki launched the first of those five homers [VIDEO].
Jameson Taillon mowed Tigers hitters down easily over the first four innings, allowing just a one-out single in the first, a leadoff walk in the third (erased on a double play) and a leadoff single in the fourth.
In the top of the fifth, Nico Hoerner led off with a single and Michael Busch got into double figures in home runs with this, his 10th [VIDEO].
That ball was crushed! [VIDEO]
So the Cubs took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth. Zach McKinstry tripled with one out. Then this happened [VIDEO].
The Cubs infield was playing back, seemingly conceding a run for an out, which they did not get. Catcher Jake Rogers was running. Matt Shaw should probably have taken the out at first. In the end the play did no real harm except for Taillon having to face an extra hitter in the fifth, as he retired the next two Tigers without incident.
The Cubs extended their lead in the seventh. Pete Crow-Armstrong led off the inning with this high, arching drive that just made the right-field seats [VIDEO].
Check out the launch angle on that one! [VIDEO]
Two outs later, Shaw smashed his second of the year [VIDEO].
Friends, that was the first home run of 2025 by a Cubs third baseman (Shaw’s other homer was hit as a pinch-hitter).
Taillon completed seven innings, allowing three hits and just one runner (McKinstry) past first base. He walked one and struck out five — here are those five K’s [VIDEO].
And more on Taillon’s outing [VIDEO].
He threw 84 pitches (56 strikes) and over his last four starts covering 26x innings, Taillon has allowed 14 hits and five walks (0.713 WHIP) and four earned runs (1.35 ERA). And, he did not allow a home run Saturday, for the first time since April 27. In that four-start span Taillon has lowered his season ERA from 4.53 to 3.54, just an excellent run. Here’s hoping it continues.
The Cubs got one more run in the eighth on Suzuki’s second homer of the game [VIDEO].
That home run was his 16th. His career high is 21, set last year — he’s likely got that by the All-Star break.
Also, there’s this:
Most road HR this season
13 Taylor Ward
12 Seiya Suzuki
12 Pete Crow-Armstrong— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) June 7, 2025
Caleb Thielbar entered to throw the eighth. Personally, I thought Taillon could have thrown one more inning, but Craig Counsell apparently opted to give him a bit less work. Thielbar got in trouble with a couple of hits, but Daniel Palencia entered to finish off the eighth scoreless.
In the ninth, Palencia allowed a one-out single and then walked Wenceel Perez. He then struck out McKinstry for the second out.
Nice back-pick by Reese McGuire, and the game ends on a video review of a pickoff play. Not sure I’ve seen that before in a Cubs game, if you remember one let us know.
As I said… the Tigers are good. So are the Cubs, who played an all-round solid game Saturday and matched their season high with the five homers. They also hit five in that crazy 13-11 win over the Diamondbacks at Wrigley April 18. Interestingly, of the four Cubs who homered Saturday (Suzuki, PCA, Shaw and Busch), only one of those (Suzuki) homered in that April game. That, I think, is one show of how strong this offense is top-to-bottom.
Lastly, the win was the Cubs’ 40th of the year and they join the Tigers and Mets as the only MLB teams (as of the writing of this recap) with 40 or more wins.
The rubber match of this series will take place Sunday afternoon at Comerica Park. Cade Horton will start for the Cubs and old Cardinals friend Jack Flaherty goes for Detroit. Game time is 12:40 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.