The Chicago Cubs faced off against the Kansas City Royals in a Sunday afternoon game. The Cubs came off a strong offensive performance the previous night and looked to continue their momentum. The Cubs lineup featured Nico Hoerner batting leadoff and playing second base, followed by Patrick Wisdom at first base, Seiya Suzuki in right field, Ian Happ in left field, Chris Morel as the designated hitter, Dansby Swanson at shortstop, David Bote at third base, Pete Crow-Armstrong starting in center field, and Christian Bethancourt at catcher.
The absence of Cody Bellinger from the Cubs lineup was disappointing for fans who were hoping to see him return from injury. Although there were hopes that he would return this past weekend, it seems that the chances of him being traded before the deadline are low unless he has one more game to show potential suitors that he is healthy.
Despite a left-handed pitcher on the mound for the Royals, Cubs manager Craig Counsell opted to play Pete Crow-Armstrong in center field instead of Mike Tauchman, who has near-neutral lefty/righty splits. This decision raised some questions about the reason for PCA’s inclusion, and whether it was a reward for his triple the previous night or whether Tauchman was dealing with an injury. Another potential explanation for PCA’s inclusion is that the Cubs coaching staff may be looking to develop him against left-handed pitchers despite his poor performance against them in the past.
Patrick Wisdom started at first base in place of Michael Busch, who has been struggling lately. David Bote was also included in the lineup at third base, pushing Christopher Morel to DH. This decision paid off as Wisdom went on to hit a home run in the top of the second inning, giving the Cubs an early lead.
For the Royals, Michael Massey, Bobby Witt Jr., and Vinnie Pasquantino batted leadoff, second, and third, while Salvador Perez served as the designated hitter. Hunter Renfroe started in right field, MJ Melendez in left field, Freddy Fermin at catcher, Kyle Isbel in center field, and Maikel Garcia at third base.
Javier Assad started as pitcher for the Cubs, hoping to bounce back from his last game, in which he threw 76 pitches in just 3.1 innings and walked six batters. Cole Ragans started on the mound for the Royals, coming off a string of solid outings.
In the top of the third inning, Morel hit a two-run homer to extend the Cubs’ lead, and the Royals struggled to get their offense going. Ragans was replaced by Jake Brentz in the fourth inning after allowing the Cubs to go up by four runs. The Royals got on the board with a solo homer by Vinnie Pasquantino in the bottom of the fifth inning, and then Salvador Perez hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to bring the score within one run.
The Cubs responded in the top of the seventh inning with an RBI single from Bote, followed by an RBI double from Hoerner. With a three-run lead, the Cubs brought in their bullpen to close out the game. The Royals were unable to come back and the Cubs won the game 7-4, taking the series from the Royals.
Overall, it was a solid game for the Cubs, and the offensive performance was strong. Wisdom, Morel, and Bote all contributed with home runs and RBIs, while the Royals struggled to get anything going until late in the game. Assad had a solid outing, going 5.2 innings and giving up just three runs. Ultimately, the Cubs’ timely hitting was the difference-maker in the game.
