Cubs Use Timely Hitting and Quality Pitching to Clinch Season Series Against Marlins
The Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins finished out their season series in Miami on Wednesday afternoon, with the Cubs entering the finale having won three out of five games against the Marlins this year and overall in the season series after a 2-1 series win in Chicago last week. The Cubs were looking to clinch both the overall series between the two squads as well as the three-game set in Miami, which was tied at 1-1 entering Wednesday. The rubber match ended up being a defensive battle where every run mattered, and it ended with the Cubs taking the victory by a slim margin of 2-1. Here is how it went down in Miami.
The game started with a bang as Cubs star outfielder Kyle Tucker hammered a solo home run in the top of the first inning for the second consecutive night to give the Cubs an early 1-0 lead. The Marlins were able to respond right back with a Connor Norby RBI single with the bases loaded in the bottom half of the first inning to tie the game back up at one run apiece. From there, it was a pitcher’s duel between Cade Horton and Max Meyer. Horton faced more threats than Meyer did, but he was able to get out of jams in the second and third innings. On the other hand, Meyer was lights out for Miami. He cruised to six innings pitched with the only run being the Tucker home run in the first inning, and he never faced any real trouble after that.
After the sixth inning concluded, the game remained tied 1-1, and it became a battle of the bullpens for the final three innings. Neither team was able to score in the seventh, but the Cubs were able to break through in the eighth with a Kyle Tucker single that scored Matt Shaw after a fielding error by Kyle Stowers in left field. Brad Keller did great work for the Cubs as he threw one and two-thirds innings of scoreless baseball before handing it over to Daniel Palencia to close the game out. Palencia was coming off a blown save to the Marlins on Monday, in which Miami won on a walk-off. Luckily for the Cubs, Palencia looked much better in this outing as he closed out the Marlins with no issues. Wednesday’s win gives the Cubs their third consecutive series win, including their second straight against the Marlins. The Cubs will look to continue their hot streak as they travel to Cincinnati to take on the Reds in a three-game series this weekend. As for the Marlins, they will look to bounce back as they head out west to take on the Angels this weekend.
