Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (4/22/23): Dodgers 9, Cubs 4 – Max Power Overwhelms Cubs
Everything went right for the Cubs Friday when they completely dominated the Dodgers in a 13-0 rout. Things did not go nearly as well at a chilly Wrigley Field Saturday, with squandered offensive chances and a rare bad bullpen day combining to doom the home team.
Hayden Wesneski struggled again early, loading the bases with nobody out in the top of the 1st inning, but a J.D. Martinez double play limited the damage to just a single run. The Cubs pulled the same feat against Dustin May in the bottom of the frame, loading the bases with nobody out and also scoring just one time.
Los Angeles took the lead in the 2nd when the unstoppable James Outman hit a solo home run. The rookie outfielder then knocked in another in the 4th to boost his ROY credentials out of the gate. Chicago got a run back in the bottom of the inning when Eric Hosmer doubled to center.
Miguel Vargas had an RBI single against Michael Rucker in the 6th inning and Max Muncy hit a two-run homer off of Mark Leiter Jr. to put the road team ahead 6-2 in the 7th. Nico Hoerner gave the Cubs some hope when he hit a two-run jack in the following half inning.
.@nico_hoerner with his second home run in as many games!
He now leads the league in hits. pic.twitter.com/VNx4N2EBi3
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 22, 2023
The Dodgers slammed the door on Brad Boxberger and the North Siders in the 9th as Muncy and Outman each had their second dingers of the day. (Box score)
Key Moment
The Cubs had runners on second and third with one out in the 6th inning trailing by two. Patrick Wisdom popped up on the infield and pinch-hitter Nick Madrigal struck out to keep the home team off the scoreboard.
Why the Cubs Lost
They got burned by the Dodgers’ powerful left-handed hitters and were not as successful with men in scoring position as they were Friday.
Stats That Matter
- Wesneski continues to battle his control and seems to have completely backed off his cutter, a pitch he used very effectively against lefties last season: 4.1 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 1 K, and 1 BB.
- Hoerner picked up two more hits and now has 33 for the season, the most in baseball.
Bottom Line
The Dodgers are still a good team and their lineup is going to have big days. The Cubs are very happy they will not have to see Outman for the rest of the season after Sunday. Wesneski has the stuff to be a very good major league pitcher but he is not talented enough to get away with this little control. I still feel pretty good about his future despite the current issues.
On Deck
Chicago tries to win the season series against the Dodgers in the finale Sunday at 1:20pm CT. It’s a star-studded matchup between Clayton Kershaw and Marcus Stroman with the usual broadcast is available on Marquee and 670 The Score.