Sunday's loss left a bad taste in the proverbial mouth of the Chicago Cubs. The fans were likely more salty about the loss, but the organization now has to manage the loss of Shota Imanaga for the time being.
Regardless, the Cubs opened up a three-game set with the San Francisco Giants on Monday, looking for a bounce-back win. Monday was exactly what the doctor ordered for the Cubs, as a 9-2 win graced the confines of Wrigley Field.
Early Action
After two scoreless innings for both teams, Matthew Boyd continued his run against the Giants in the third inning. A three-up, three-down inning led to the Cubs' first runs of the game in the bottom of the frame. Following a Dansby Swanson double, Ian Happ crushed his third home run of the season to give the home side a 2-0 lead.
Unfortunately, the Giants struck back. In the top of the fourth, the Giants found some runners on base, but the Cubs did a nice job managing. Jung Hoo Lee singled, but was taken care of on a Matt Chapman fielder's choice. Following a Wilmer Flores groundout, Luis Matos hammered his third home run of the season to tie the game at two.
In a familiar fashion this season, the Cubs offense answered in the bottom of the frame. With two outs, Pete Crow-Armstrong reached on a fielding error by Chapman, and Nico Hoerner singled to give the Cubs a pair of runners on. Hoerner stole second to negate the double play and having runners in scoring position paid off. Dansby Swanson's ensuing single scored both runners and gave the Cubs the two-run cushion once again.
Break Out Inning
A scoreless fifth and top of the sixth led to the Cubs' big inning. To start things off, Carson Kelly continued his outstanding start to the season, clubbing his eighth home run of the young campaign to extend the Cubs' lead to three runs.
From there, things got wild. Crow-Armstrong singled, Hoerner reached on a fielding error, and Swanson reached on another fielding error. With the bases loaded, Nicky Lopez walked in a run to extend the lead to 6-2. From there, an Ian Happ sacrifice fly, and Seiya Suzuki two-run single blew the game open with the Cubs leading 9-2.
The Cubs loaded the bases yet again, but Carson Kelly ended the inning, after starting it, with a double play.
Settling In
Matthew Boyd pitched a brilliant 6.0 innings with just two earned runs and five hits allowed while fanning seven batters. From there, LHP Caleb Thielbar pitched a relatively clean seventh inning, and recently-recalled RHP Gavin Hollowell pitched two clean innings to close out the game.
The low-stress win is exactly what the Cubs needed. Boyd continues to pitch at a high level, making the Cubs look smart for inking him during the winter. Through seven starts, Boyd has accumulated 39.2 innings and a 2.75 ERA. In addition, Boyd has 37 strikeouts compared to just 13 walks.
What's On Tap Next?
The Cubs are back in action on Tuesday night, with Colin Rea set to battle Justin Verlander in the second game of the three-game set. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. CT from Wrigley Field.
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