Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (7/26/24): Royals 6, Cubs 0 – Third Shutout Since Break

The Cubs offense was a complete no-show yet again Friday night against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City rallied for six runs with two men out in the bottom of the 5th as they went on to shut their guests out 6-0.

Starting pitchers Kyle Hendricks and Brady Singer cruised through the first four frames and the game remained scoreless. The Cubs got runners on second and third with nobody out in the top of the 5th but they were unable to score after Mike Tauchman was thrown out at the plate trying to tag on a shallow fly ball off the bat of Miguel Amaya.

Things completely fell apart on Hendricks in the bottom of the frame with two outs. The Professor gave up five consecutive singles and the Royals built up a 3-0 lead, then catcher Salvador Pérez mashed a long three-run homer to left field that buried the North Siders in a 6-0 hole.

That was basically it as the final four innings were largely uneventful and Kansas City completed the whitewash. (Box score)

Key Moment

Hendricks needed 11 pitches to retire Nick Loftin for the second out in the 5th inning. The Cubs hurler gave up six consecutive hits after that as the game slipped away.

Why the Cubs Lost

It’s impossible to win a baseball game if you don’t score, a lesson being learned repeatedly by this team.

Stats That Matter

• Hendricks is having a very hard time avoiding blowup innings this season and Friday was just another example: 5 IP, 6 R, 8 H, 4 K, and 0 BB.
• Seiya Suzuki had two of the Cubs four hits, including a double.

Bottom Line

The Cubs have now been blanked in three of their seven games out of the All-Star break and have a grand total of nine runs over that time. This is as bad a hitting stretch as I can remember from a Cubs team.

On Deck

Game two of the series is Saturday night at 6:10pm CT as Shōta Imanaga faces off against Seth Lugo with a broadcast available on Marquee and 670 The Score.