Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (5/5/21): Cubs 6, Dodgers 5 (F/11) – More Extra-Inning Heroics Lead to Sweep of Dodgers

Adbert Alzolay (1-2, 4.71 ERA) took the mound tonight against Walker Buehler (1-0, 3.16 ERA) in the final game of the series, looking to build off his strong outing verses the Braves on April 29.

Alzolay was downright dominant through the first 3.2 innings, holding the Dodgers hitless while striking out seven batters. Max Muncy broke through with two outs in the 3rd when he homered the opposite way. The visitors added to their lead in the 5th thanks to an RBI double from Gavin Lux. Alzolay would finish the night after five innings, allowing just two runs, and keeping the Cubs in the game.

Early on, the Cubs weren’t able to get much going against Buehler, mustering only two hits through 5.2 innings until Jake Marisnick tied the game with one swing in the bottom of the 5th. The Dodgers took the lead right back in the 6th when they loaded the bases with nobody out against Kyle Ryan, setting up a Will Smith sacrifice fly.

The Cubs bounced back in the 8th inning when an RBI groundout from Javier Baez allowed Joc Pederson to score. That would force the game to extras, where Muncy recorded his 2nd RBI of the night after sending a double off the wall in left-center, giving the Dodgers a 4-3 lead. But the Cubs simply refused to go quietly into the night, knotting it up at 4 in the bottom of the 10th with a Pederson sac fly that fell just short of being a 3-run homer.

In the 11th, the Dodgers continued the seesaw affair, scoring their 5th run of the night but, once again, the Cubs answered in the bottom half of the inning with a Matt Duffy RBI single followed by an Anthony Rizzo walk-off game-winning base knock. The Cubs finish off the sweep against the defending champs, winning by a final of 6-5. (Box Score)

Why the Cubs Won

A great start from Alzolay and a never-say-die mentality on offense helped push the Cubs to the win.

Key Moment

The Cubs mounted rallies in the 8th, 10th, and 11th innings, showing grit and resiliency throughout the night. They could have easily folded but instead found a way to win and take home the sweep.

Stats That Matter

• Alzolay had yet another solid performance: 5.0 IP, 2 R, 3H, 1 BB, 7 K
• Duffy continued his hot hitting, ending the night 3-for-4 with four hits, three runs, and an RBI
• The bullpen held the Dodgers in check, giving up three runs in six innings, with Alec Mills getting credit for the win.

Bottom Line

The Cubs were able to muster late-game heroics for the second night in a row, but they also failed to deliver with runners in scoring position, finishing 2-for-11 on the night. It’s always great to get the win but going forward the Cubs will have to get better at driving in runners if they intend to get back over .500.

On Deck

The Cubs are off tomorrow and then welcome the Pirates to Wrigley on Friday afternoon. Zach Davies (1-2, 8.22 ERA) squares off against former Cub Trevor Cahill (1-3, 7.40 ERA).

How To Watch

Game Time: Friday, May 7, 1:20pm CT
TV/Radio: Marquee Sports Network, MLB Network (out-of-market), and 670 The Score.
Live Stream (in-network): Watch live on fuboTV – sign up now for a free trial.