Chicago Cubs Score

Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (8/16/24): Cubs 6, Blue Jays 5 F/10 – Suzuki Walks It Off

Photo of Sean Holland Sean HollandAugust 16, 2024

The Cubs returned home Friday afternoon looking to bounce back after getting swept in Cleveland. Things were looking good early as Chicago built a lead over the Blue Jays, but a 9th-inning meltdown erased the advantage and forced extras. Luckily, the home team recovered and walked it off in the 10th.

Cody Bellinger put the North Siders on top in the opening frame when he hit a two-run homer off of Toronto starter Yariel Rodríguez. Kyle Hendricks did a pretty good job on the mound, although, a pair of throwing errors in the 4th inning, including one by the pitcher himself, allowed an unearned run to score.

The Jays were able to tie the game in the 5th inning when light-hitting shortstop Leo Jiménez took Hendricks deep to left for a solo homer. The Cubs wasted no time responding in the bottom of the frame with Pete Crow-Armstrong and Miguel Amaya hitting back-to-back dingers to put the home team in front 4-2.

Ian Happ added a massive solo blast in the 7th against left-handed reliever Brendon Little to build Chicago’s margin to 5-2.

In the 9th inning, Héctor Neris came on for a save opportunity and things immediately went sideways after three singles to load the bases. Neris could not navigate the tightrope this time with a balk followed by a two-run triple off the bat of George Springer, which tied the score at 5-5.

The Cubs were able to strand Springer on third base to send the game to extras. After Toronto failed to score in the top half of the 10th, Seiya Suzuki singled off of reliever Chad Green to bring in Happ with the winning run as the home team walked it off 6-5. (Box score)

Key Moment

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led off the 10th inning against Tyson Miller with a long fly ball that barely stayed in the park. Guerrero appeared to break his bat which probably kept it from going over the fence. The Blue Jays were unable to score the courtesy runner in the frame.

Why the Cubs Won

The hitters were able to respond after a rare, at least recently, bullpen collapse and walked it off for the win. Producing four home runs also helped.

Stats That Matter

  • Hendricks did a good job and should have gotten a win: 5 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 K, and 1 BB.
  • In addition to his home run, Happ also doubled and currently has a seven-game hitting streak.
  • PCA continues to pick up extra-base hits and is pumping some life into the bottom of the order.

Bottom Line

That was a lot more difficult of a win than it should have been for the Cubs…but they did get it. Neris continued to flirt with disaster and today it caught up with him. Craig Counsell would be well-advised to consider using Neris in lower-leverage situations, if for no other reason than protecting the emotional and physical health of the fans watching these games.

The win keeps a shred of hope alive for the Cubs.

On Deck

Game two of the series is Saturday at 1:20pm CT. Justin Steele matches up against Chris Bassitt in a contest available on MLB Network (out of market only), Marquee, and 670 The Score.

Photo of Sean Holland Sean HollandAugust 16, 2024
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