Talk about highs and lows on a single day. The Cubs went behind early, trailing 6-1 heading to the bottom of the fifth. And if you were scoreboard-watching, that was just about the time the Brewers had a 4-0 lead on the Phillies.
But the Cubs came back and won 7-6 on Carson Kelly’s walk-off single in the 10th. And the Phillies came back and defeated the Brewers 10-8. Not that the NL Central title is really in sight, but… you never know, and the Cubs did gain a game on Milwaukee Monday afternoon.
There’s
a lot to unpack from this win so let’s get right to it.
The Cubs went behind 1-0 in the first inning on an RBI single by Ozzie Albies. Who should not have even been batting, because look at the pitch to Drake Baldwin that was called ball four just before that:
Pitch 7, which was called ball four, would have been called a strike with the challenge system. That would have changed the entire sequencing of upcoming innings.
But here we are, having to wait (probably) till next year for ABS challenges. Can’t come soon enough for me.
THe Braves scored a pair off Colin Rea in the third when he got wild and walked Matt Olson and then hit Ronald Acuña Jr., followed by a couple of hits. One of those hits was… what on Earth is going on here, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker? [VIDEO].
Meanwhile, the Cubs were doing nothing with Spencer Strider through three. They got on the board in the fourth on Ian Happ’s 19th home run of the year [VIDEO].
So it’s 3-1, not insurmountable… until Taylor Rogers came in to throw the fifth. He got the first two outs easily on just four pitches. But then the Braves pounded out four straight hits, three for extra bases, and plated three runs for a 6-1 lead.
This did not make this observer happy, nor the rest of the 39,673 at Wrigley Field. (Well, most of them, anyway. I did see a fair number of Braves fans around the ballpark and neighborhood Monday.)
The Cubs got one run back in the bottom of the fifth. Dansby Swanson led off with a walk and Matt Shaw doubled him in [VIDEO].
That’s when just-acquired Aaron Civale came in and shut things down. You did not have “Aaron Civale shuts the Braves out for three innings of outstanding relief” on your 2025 Cubs bingo card, but that’s exactly what he did, at one point striking out four in a row.
That gave the Cubs a chance to edge close. One more Cubs run crossed the plate in the bottom of the sixth. Happ led off with a single, but was forced at second by Nico Hoerner. One out later PCA laid down a gorgeous bunt for a hit, with Nico taking second.
Swanson doubled in both runners to make it 6-4 [VIDEO].
Well, now there’s a real chance. Civale had some help in the seventh on this terrific catch by PCA [VIDEO].
Civale finished his three scoreless innings in the top of the eighth having allowed just two baserunners, a single and HBP in the eighth.
Happ led off the bottom of the inning with a bloop single to left and stole second. About that steal, from BCB’s JohnW53:
This is the 17th game in which the Cubs have stolen at least three bases. It is just their second in their last 33 games and first in 19.
Nico struck out but then Kelly, on a 3-2 pitch, tied the game with his 14th home run [VIDEO].
Brad Keller walked two in the ninth but escaped with a scoreless frame. The Cubs got a leadoff single by Shaw in the bottom of the ninth, but the next three Cubs went down in order, including new Cub Carlos Santana, who struck out.
In the 10th, the Braves sacrificed the placed runner to third, but Andrew Kittredge struck out the next two hitters to send the game to the bottom of the 10th still tied.
Seiya Suzuki was the placed runner. After Happ struck out, Suzuki advanced to third on a ground ball by Nico.
That’s when Kelly singled in the game-winner [VIDEO].
Pretty sure I know who I’m voting for as Player of the Game in Heroes and Goats tomorrow morning, Terrific clutch hitting from Kelly, who had this to say after the game [VIDEO].
More on the walk-off from John:
According to my research, this walk-off is the Cubs’:
997th in the regular season since 1876
899th of the Modern Era
794th at Wrigley Field
It is their 956th at home. They had 41 on the road back when there was a coin flip before the game and the winner of the flip could elect to bat first or second.
More on Kelly’s game-tying and walk-off hits:
Walk-off wins are always fun, and it’s particularly good when the Brewers blow a big lead and lose. Again, granted, the Cubs still trail them by 5.5 games in the NL Central, but wins are wins, and this also helps the Cubs keep their lead in the wild-card race at two games over the Padres.
Here are some postgame comments from Craig Counsell:
The Cubs will go for two in a row and a series win over the Braves Tuesday evening at Wrigley Field. Shōta Imanaga gets the start for the Cubs and Joey Wentz will start for Atlanta. Game time Tuesday is 6:40 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
