You may never know in Wrigley, but that doesn’t mean you don’t know early on. And here that was the case with the ball flying out of the yard right from the get-go in a 10 to 5 defeat against the Cubs, with the Dodgers outmatched offensively.
The first inning alone saw five runs cross the plate, as Matthew Boyd had to contend with one of a pitcher’s worst nightmares, seeing one mistake turned into a 3-0 game. Tommy Edman hit a home run, driving in Shohei Ohtani and Andy Pages, who had both reached
base on soft contacts.
Any idea the Dodgers had of quickly controlling this game went away just as that first-inning lead came. The Cubs immediately countered with a two-run shot from Seiya Suzuki two batters into their offensive performance. And that would be one of three two-run homers in as many innings that Justin Wrobleski would allow, eventually conceding a fourth one as well.
In the second inning, it was Kevin Alcántara helping the Cubs take the 4-3 lead with the first home run of his big league career. From youth to experience, Carson Kelly then managed to isolate the Dodgers number as his favorite victim, knocking a ninth long ball versus LA. Lastly, in Kyle Tucker’s first game with the Cubs, it was a different player facing his former club that did the real damage: Michael Busch’s fifth-inning solo shot knocked Wrobleski out of the game.
In still a short sample, Busch is building up quite the resume versus his former team with nearly an extra-base hit a game against them (15 in 16), including five long balls. A pitcher who had allowed just eight home runs prior to his last start, Wrobleski doubled that mark in the span of two games, with back-to-back appearances allowing four home runs.
Boyd displayed the ability to bounce back from an early blow that seemed to elude Wrobleski in a game in which the ball was flying out of the park, particularly to left field. Boyd didn’t shut the door completely following those three runs in the first; what he managed to do was limit the damage, relying heavily on the Cubs’ outstanding defense, no less and no more than what he needed.
Take the fifth inning, for instance, in which both Andy Pages and Freddie Freeman were denied hits by terrific infield plays from third baseman Pedro Ramírez and second baseman Nico Hoerner, respectively. One inning later, Kyle Tucker was thrown out by Seiya Suzuki on what looked like a standard double with the Cubs right fielder playing it cleanly off the wall. Tucker’s out on the basepaths cost the Dodgers a run as Teoscar Hernández hit the game’s sixth and most impressive homer, out of the park.
Even with that one fewer run, Hernández’s homer had made it a 7-5 game, but only one team showed up once the bullpens came into play. While Boyd had the stamina and effectiveness to pitch into the seventh inning, the Dodgers’ bullpen had its numbers called early and didn’t respond adequately. Edgardo Henríquez loaded the bases in the sixth, and try as he might, Tanner Scott could not strand them. All three baserunners crossed the plate after a walk and single, leading to that 10-5 score.
Game particulars
- Home runs— Tommy Edman (3), Teoscar Hernández (11), Seiya Suzuki (19), Kevin Alcántara (1), Carson Kelly (7), Michael Busch (14)
- WP—Matthew Boyd (7-1): 6.2 IP, 9 hits, 5 runs, 4 (earned), 1 walk, 3 strikeouts
- LP—Justin Wrobleski (11-3): 4.1 IP, 7 hits, 7 runs, 3 walks
Up next
If you’ve been paying attention at any point over the past few days, you’ll know excitement is through the roof for Tuesday’s matchup with the Cubs, Tarik Skubal’s debut with the Dodgers. It comes at the most opportune of times as the Dodgers try to stop this losing streak, contending with Javier Assad on the other side of this 5:10 p.m. PT game.
