Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (4/26/24): Cubs 7, Red Sox 1 – Shōta Shines Again in Win

The Cubs traveled to Fenway Park for just the fourth time since interleague play began to battle the Red Sox on Friday night. Shōta Imanaga spun another gem and Chicago’s young hitters provided plenty of offense as the road team picked up their fourth consecutive victory.

Michael Busch kicked off the Cubs’ first rally against Kutter Crawford with a double to lead off the top of the 2nd inning. Dansby Swanson then got a hit to put runners on the corners for Matt Mervis, who got his first knock of the season to put his team ahead 1-0. Pete Crow-Armstrong added an RBI single to make it 2-0.

PCA laid down a sacrifice bunt that scored Swanson in the 4th inning. Imanaga was very sharp and did not allow a baserunner until Tyler O’Neill blasted a solo home run in the bottom of the 4th. Chicago got that run right back against Crawford the following frame when Busch hit a sacrifice fly.

The Cubs broke the game open against left-handed reliever Joely Rodriguez in the 6th. Christopher Morel chopped a ground ball over a drawn-in infield to bring Mike Tauchman in from third base. After a walk and a strikeout, pinch-hitter Patrick Wisdom split the gap with a two-run double to increase the margin to 7-1.

Keegan Thompson took over with one out in the 7th inning and pitched the rest of the way as the North Siders cruised to a 7-1 win. (Box score)

Key Moment

After O’Neill’s 4th inning home run cut the Red Sox deficit to 3-1, the next two batters reached base on a walk and a single with one out. Imanaga was able to retire Connor Wong and Pablo Reyes to escape further damage and he did not allow a run after that.

Why the Cubs Won

Their two pitchers combined to allow only one run Friday, which always makes it easier to win. Offensively, they did an excellent job of getting runners home from third base all night long.

Stats That Matter

• Imanaga has been terrific in his first month in MLB: 6.1 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 7 K, and 1 BB.
• Morel had a ringing double in addition to his RBI single and looks like he’s starting to come out of his slump.
• Crow-Armstrong appeared to be much more comfortable at the plate after his homer on Thursday and had two singles.
• Busch broke out of his mini-slump in a big way with three hits and the sacrifice fly.

Bottom Line

Once Justin Steele returns from injury, the Cubs’ rotation starts to look pretty impressive with Imanaga and Javier Assad pitching as well as they are. With key offensive contributors out, getting a lift from young players will be huge to keep the squad rolling strong.

On Deck

The second game of the series is Saturday afternoon at 3:10pm CT. Ben Brown will start for the Cubs against Josh Winckowski with broadcasts on Marquee and 670 The Score.