The Chicago Cubs completed the expected sweep over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. With an extra day of rest without any travel, the Cubs enter Friday poised for a series win over the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field.
Tale of the Tape
The Dodgers wasted no time getting on the board in the first inning. Although Kyle Hendricks struck out Mookie Betts, the league's hottest hitter, in the first at-bat, Shohei Ohtani's double, Freddie Freeman's walk, and Will Smith's single, thanks to the sun, loaded the bases. Hendricks managed to get Max Muncy swinging, but offseason-addition Teoscar Hernandez singled up the middle to score two early.
Nonetheless, the Cubs answered, Dansby Swanson's solo home run cut the Dodgers' lead in half and, with Michael Busch on base, Nick Madrigal drove in another run. The Cubs quickly evened the score.
It wasn't over for the Cubs in the second inning. The Cubs managed to load the bases for Seiya Suzuki. Nico Hoerner scored from third on a wild pitch to give the Cubs the lead while the other runners advanced, then Suzuki smoked a double off the right field wall on the very next pitch to give the Cubs a 5-2 lead.
The Cubs had a lead and they kept adding. Michael Busch added an insurance run with his first home run in a Cubs uniform to make it 6-2. However, no lead was safe.
Following Busch's homer, the Dodgers answered. Shohei Ohtani, in his Wrigley Field debut, smoked a two-run home run to make it a 6-4 game. Then, Will Smith doubled to score Freddie Freeman and made it a 6-5 game.
Like the Cubs have all season, the offense answered. Following the Dodgers' damage in the top of the fifth, the Cubs answered in the bottom of the sixth. With two men on, Ian Happ smoked a triple that extended the Cubs' lead to 8-5.
The Cubs weren't done. Following the Happ triple, Suzuki managed to drive in Happ with a clutch sacrifice fly to give the Cubs a four-run lead.
The Dodgers added two runs in the top of the seventh, but that was as close as they would get. The Cubs held them off with solid pitching from Drew Smyly, Julian Merryweather, and Adbert Alzolay to secure their fifth straight win and a 9-7 win in the series opener against the big bad Dodgers.
The Offense is Scorching
The Cubs' offense has been humming all season long. Although just seven games in, the Cubs have the best walk rate and strikeout rate in baseball as a team. In addition, players like Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, and Christopher Morel have largely carried the offense. Don't forget, Dansby Swanson and Michael Busch are both hitting over .300, and the bats of Cody Bellinger and Nico Hoerner have yet to get going.
Once the offense is fully clicking, they will be dangerous up and down the lineup. In terms of runs scored, the Cubs are the sixth-best offense in baseball.
What's On Tap Next?
The Cubs and Dodgers are back in action for two more games over the weekend. Saturday's 3:05 p.m. CDT first pitch will feature big-fish addition Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers while the Cubs trot out lefty Jordan Wicks in game two.
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