Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (3/18/26): Diamondbacks 16, Cubs 8 – Bad Afternoon for Cabrera in Loss
The Cubs traveled to Salt River Fields on a very hot Wednesday afternoon to tangle with the Diamondbacks. New pitching acquisition Edward Cabrera struggled for the first time this spring and the road team gave up an avalanche of runs in a loss.
Arizona took a lead on a Nolan Arenado sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 1st inning, but Chicago responded with five runs in the top of the 3rd. Miguel Amaya had an RBI single and Jefferson Rojas hit a grand slam to make it a 5-1 game.
Cabrera had a major struggle in the bottom of the 3rd, when he gave up a two-run homer to Alek Thomas and was pulled when his pitch count got too high within the inning. Edward Moore came on in relief for the North Siders and four more runs scored to put the D-Backs on top 7-5.
The starter re-entered the contest in the bottom of the 4th and did not perform any better. He surrendered three more, including a solo home run to Corbin Carroll, before leaving for good behind 10-5.
Arizona was up 14-5 by the time the frame was over. Kevin Alcántara and Jonathon Long hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the 8th inning, but the outcome was well decided by that point and Chicago was defeated by a margin of 16-8. (Box score)
Key Moment
The Diamondbacks scored 13 runs in the 3rd and 4th innings combined.
Why the Cubs Lost
The pitching completely imploded in the middle frames and put the game on ice.
Stats That Matter
- It was a tough afternoon for Cabrera with seven earned runs in just 3.1 innings.
- Alcántara had three hits and has been pretty good in spring training.
Bottom Line
It feels like every Cubs starter has now had their bad spring outing for the year. Cabrera has looked very good so far otherwise and should be a big help once the season begins.
On Deck
Chicago is off on Thursday before a split-squad effort against the Reds and Athletics on Friday night. The game against the A’s is available on Marquee.
