That wasn’t the usual way to come back from an 18-3 thrashing the previous day, but the Cubs will certainly take it, I’m sure.
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s two-out game-tying homer in the ninth sent the game to extra innings and when Giants right fielder Victor Bericoto fumbled Michael Busch’s single in the 10th, Dansby Swanson scampered home and the Cubs won 3-2, their eighth walk-off win of 2026.
Let’s rewind to the beginning of this back-and-forth game.
Ben Brown, who’s been just outstanding since joining
the starting rotation, continued his excellence Saturday afternoon. He’s got to be the closest thing the Cubs have to an ace right now. And in my view, it’s all because he added more effective pitches to his repertoire. Good for him for putting in the work needed to step up his game to the next level. Here’s Brown’s pitch mix for this one [VIDEO].
Brown allowed just one hit and two other baserunners in his 5.2 innings of work Saturday in a game that was started on time and then had some fairly heavy rain fall in the first two innings. After that it cleared up and it was a lovely afternoon with a lake breeze. No Giants runner got past first base against Brown, who struck out five.
More on Brown’s day from BCB’s JohnW53:
Ben Brown today became only the fifth Cubs pitcher since 1901 to pitch exactly 5.1 scoreless innings. The others all gave up at least three hits.
Ferguson Jenkins did it in relief on April 23, 1966, vs. the Dodgers (four hits)
The later three, all starters:
Jake Arrieta, May 3, 2014, vs. the Cardinals (four)
Justin Steele, April 25, 2023, vs. the Padres (three)
Javier Assad, Sept. 28, 2025, vs. the CardinalsJenkins walked none; Assad and Browns, one; and Arrieta and Steele, two.
Brown had some help from his defense. Check out this great grab by Seiya Suzuki in the first inning [VIDEO].
And this one by PCA in the sixth [VIDEO].
That was the last batter Brown faced. Caleb Thielbar entered the game to face Rafael Devers, the right move, as Devers hits left-handed.
Unfortunately, Devers took Thielbar deep fot a 1-0 Giants lead, before Thielbar struck out Luis Arraez and Willy Adames to end the inning.
Meanwhile, the Cubs could not do anything with Giants starter Landen Roupp. They had two runners on via walks with two out in the first, but Ian Happ flied out. They had just two other baserunners through five, and one of those runners, PCA on a leadoff single in the third, was erased on a double play.
So the game went 1-0 Giants to the bottom of the sixth. PCA was the leadoff hitter in the inning. Roupp ran an 0-2 count on PCA.
Both teams had chances to score in the seventh and eighth. The Giants got two on with one out against Jacob Webb, but he got two fly balls to Suzuki to end the seventh. In the bottom of the inning, the Cubs loaded the bases on a PCA single, Miguel Amaya hit by a pitch and an infield hit by Busch.
Alex Bregman was the next hitter. He struck out to end the inning, and scattered boos came out of the Wrigley Field stands.
In the eighth, Webb retired the Giants in order. He has become one of the most reliable relievers Craig Counsell has, after a rough start to his season.
The Cubs went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth, and Daniel Palencia entered to throw the ninth. Unfortunately, a couple of singles and a sac fly by Matt Chapman gave the Giants a 2-1 lead.
In the bottom of the ninth, Pedro Ramirez grounded out. Carson Kelly hit a line drive — right at Adames.
That brought up PCA. It took him just one pitch to tie the game for the second time [VIDEO].
More on that game-tying blast from John:
The Cubs have hit six solo homers this season that tied the score.
Two by Alex Bregman, two by Michael Busch . . . and the two today by Pete Crow-Armstrong.
They hit 16 such homers last year, three by PCA. He also hit one in 2023. His five are tied with Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki for the most by any Cub since 2022.
Ryan Rolison, another scrap heap pickup who’s done a good bullpen job, threw the top of the 10th. He issued a one-out walk, then struck out Devers and got Arraez to hit into a force play to end the inning — after the ball took a bounce off the mound [VIDEO].
So the game went to the bottom of the 10th still tied. Dansby Swanson had been told by Craig Counsell that he’d be getting a couple of days off (today, and presumably Sunday as well). But with Moisés Ballesteros scheduled to be the placed runner, Swanson was sent out to be that runner instead.
Busch singled, and Swanson was given the stop sign by Quintin Berry at third base. Instead, he scored on this error after the hit [VIDEO].
So the Cubs even up the series with the Giants — and it’s PCA’s day. He’s now on an 11-game hitting streak, and this was his second four-hit game during the streak. He’s got five home runs in the 11 games and overall during the streak is now batting .413/.490/.822 (19-for-45) with three doubles, five home runs, nine RBI and nine runs scored. I’m not sure how he got locked in this way, but he’s hitting the way he was during the first half last year. Keep that up — and get some of the other Cubs bats going — and maybe they can dig themselves out of this hole.
Between PCA and Brown, the Cubs have two young stars. Great stuff. Here’s Busch on the game-winning play [VIDEO].
The Cubs go for the series win Sunday evening at Wrigley Field. They’ll be on NBC’s featured Sunday Night Baseball game (full national broadcast, no blackouts, also streaming on Peacock). Announcers will be Jason Benetti, Jim Deshaies and Hunter Pence. Jameson Taillon starts for the Cubs and Trevor McDonald will go for the Giants. Game time Sunday is 7:30 p.m. CT.
