Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (3/28/26): Cubs 10, Nationals 2 – Horton Superb in Win
The Cubs were back in action Saturday after dropping the season opener against the Nationals on Thursday afternoon. It was a much different story in this game, with a great pitching performance and explosive offense leading to an easy victory for the home team.
Chicago took advantage of some shaky Washington defense to put up four runs against Miles Mikolas in the bottom of the 2nd. It began with a Matt Shaw sacrifice fly, followed by a bloop RBI single by Miguel Amaya, and was capped by a collision in left field on a ball hit by Michael Busch to bring home two more.
Cade Horton got the start was outstanding for the North Siders, allowing just a James Wood solo home run in the 4th and an RBI single to Nasim Nuñez in the 5th. Those runs were matched by an Amaya solo shot and a double by Nico Hoerner to make it 6-2.
The Cubs blew it wide-open on a three-run jack by Ian Happ in the bottom of the 6th. Carson Kelly followed with a bases-loaded walk to force in one more and bring the eventual final to 10-2. (Box score)
Key Moment
Two separate four-run innings made all the difference Saturday afternoon for Chicago.
Why the Cubs Won
It’s very hard to lose a game when you score 10 runs and get a quality start.
Stats That Matter
- Really great effort from Horton: 6.1 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 4 K, and 1 BB.
- Amaya carried over his power performance from spring training with his homer.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong had two more hits and stole a base Saturday.
Bottom Line
The Cubs are officially in the win column for 2026, which is always a good thing to get out of the way. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a monster season for Horton. He has the ability to be the ace of the staff right now and this is an excellent beginning.
On Deck
The rubber match of the series is Sunday at 1:20pm CT. Shōta Imanaga faces off against Jake Irvin in a game airing on Marquee with a radio feed on The Score.
