The Chicago Cubs entered Tuesday's ballgame with a sour taste in their mouth following their weekend series. After making a huge slew of roster moves including sending Kyle Hendricks to the IL, DFA'ing Garrett Cooper, and sending Drew Smyly to the IL, the Cubs were poised to bounce back with a win over the Houston Astros, who were making their first visit to Wrigley Field since 2013.
Following the sour split with the Miami Marlins, could the Cubs start the Houston series off right?
Tale of the Tape
With the wind howling out of Wrigley Field, Tuesday was a perfect night to get the ball in the air. After a scoreless first from LHP Jordan Wicks, the Cubs struck early to the tune of five first-inning runs. Following an Ian Happ double that was nearly a home run, Cody Bellinger hit a moonshot into the right-field bleachers to give the Cubs an early 2-0 lead.
Following Bellinger's at-bat, Christopher Morel reached on a walk and Dansby Swanson reached on a single. With men at the corners, Mike Tauchman hit a ball to the opposite field that narrowly found the basket for a three-run shot and a 5-0 Cubs lead.
The score remained the same until the top of the fourth when the Astros finally got on the board. With Kyle Tucker on, catcher Yainer Diaz struck a double to score the outfielder and make it a 5-1 game.
In the top of the fifth, the Astros struck again. This time, a Jake Meyers fly ball sailed with the howling wind at Wrigley Field and into the left-field bleachers, making it a 5-2 contest. That was the closest the Astros got to the Cubs on the scoreboard, as they added insurance runs late.
In the bottom of the sixth with bases loaded, Nico Hoerner grounded into a force out, scoring the Cubs' sixth run. Unfortunately, that was all the Cubs could manage with bases juiced. However, in the bottom of the eighth, Mike Tauchman hit another ball to the opposite field and out for his second home run of the night.
Behind Jordan Wicks' solid 6.0 innings, and strong work from Ben Brown, Mark Leiter Jr., and Yency Almonte out of the bullpen, the Cubs held on for the 7-2 win.
When the Wind Blows Out...
When the wind blows out at Wrigley Field and the Cubs get the ball in the air, good things happen. Three big home runs from Cody Bellinger and Mike Tauchman propelled the Cubs to a desperately needed victory over the struggling Astros. Bellinger's power stroke has been heating up and Tauchman's two-homer performance was the exact type of depth contributions needed from the roster.
Although Bellinger left the game early, he appears to be fine . Now, with Ian Happ back and healthy, getting him, Michael Busch, and Christopher Morel going again to add to Bellinger's power stroke will be critical to long-term success. That said, finding ways to win like they did on Tuesday are always welcome when the home-field advantage works in their favor.
What's On Tap Next?
The Cubs and Astros run it back on Wednesday for another 6:40 p.m. first pitch. The Cubs will trot out RHP Jameson Taillon for his second start of the 2024 campaign while the Astros send RHP Spencer Arrighetti to the hill.
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