Guardians Close 2026 Series with the Cubs in a Nail-Biting 6-5 Win
The Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Guardians finished their three-game series at Progressive Field on Sunday afternoon, with the Guardians prevailing by a final score of 6-5 to win the series two games to one. It was a back-and-forth struggle that came down to the final out, as a 3-0 Cubs lead quickly turned into a 3-3 tie. Chicago then went up 4-3, before Cleveland surged ahead to a 6-4 lead, and while the Cubs crossed the plate one more time in the top of the ninth inning, they fell just short as the home team held on for a one-run win. With the win, Cleveland rises to 6-4 on the season and rests comfortably at the top of the AL Central standings, while the Cubs are floundering at 4-5 at the bottom of the NL Central. So, what should we take away from the exciting rubber match?
Cubs Should Still Be Worried About Their Bullpen
Everyone knows that the Cubs are the perennial “our pitching holds us back” club of the National League. In this game against Cleveland, starter Shota Imanaga pitched five strong innings, recording four strikeouts with just three hits and one earned run. It was when he was relieved that things began to go downhill for Chicago. Ben Brown, Jacob Webb, and Ethan Roberts collectively gave up six hits and five earned runs in the final four innings, while walking three batters and recording zero strikeouts. It might be an understatement that a change needs to be made in the bullpen and their pitching roster as a whole.
Guardians Offense is Legit, Even When Stars Don’t Show Up
In the rubber match against the Cubs, the top three batters in the Guardians’ lineup went a combined one for 12, with the only hit from the three being Steven Kwan’s double in the sixth inning. Still, Cleveland managed team totals of nine hits and six runs on their way to victory. The Guardians are looking like a team with an unexpectedly deep batting order, with Gabriel Arias and Austin Hedges both recording two hits from the seventh and eighth positions in the batting order, respectively. While it’s nice to have star sluggers like Jose Ramirez, it’s a good sign for the Guardians to know that they don’t necessarily have to rely on such players to be heroes in every game.
Cubs Need to Get on Base More Reliably
In their fifth loss of the season, the Cubs recorded seven hits, three of which were home runs. The only run they scored that was not courtesy of a home run was Ian Happ’s RBI single in the ninth inning to drive in Nico Hoerner. While home runs are obviously very exciting and effective, it’s not a winning formula to hope that your power hitters can crank it into the stands every time. The Cubs need to work on accumulating more base hits and getting men in scoring position more reliably. Their OBP of .315 currently ranks 16th in the MLB, which is a disappointing figure for a team with as much offensive firepower on the roster as the Cubs have.
