Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (4/5/26, Game 2): Guardians 6, Cubs 5 – Bullpen Issues Lead to Doubleheader Split
The Cubs and Guardians played the back half of their Easter doubleheader on Sunday after the road team took the first game. Craig Counsell‘s team went ahead a couple of times, but the bullpen was not able to hold on as they were forced to settle for a split.
Much like the first game, both starting pitchers Shōta Imanaga and Parker Messick did a good job keeping the offense down in the early innings. Matt Shaw put Chicago into the lead with an opposite-field solo home run in the top of the 3rd.
Dansby Swanson increased the margin to 3-0 for the North Siders with a two-run homer in the top of the 6th. Imanaga came out of the game after giving up a leadoff double in the bottom of the frame and was replaced by Ben Brown. The big righty had all kinds of trouble, giving up two RBI singles and a sacrifice fly as Cleveland tied the score at 3-3.
Ian Happ had struck out six consecutive times across both games before flying out in the 6th, and then his solo home run in the top of the 8th put the Cubs back on top 4-3. Jacob Webb tried to maintain the advantage but he had major issues in the bottom half. CJ Kayfus went deep, followed by run-scoring singles off the bats of Gabriel Arias and Austin Hedges to give the Guardians a 6-4 edge.
Chicago rallied in the 9th against closer Cade Smith, with Happ picking up an RBI single to cut the deficit to 6-5. That would be as close as they would get, however, as Cleveland finished off the win. (Box score)
Key Moment
The Cubs were in a pretty good position heading into the bottom of the 6th before things kind of got away from them.
Why the Cubs Lost
The bullpen struggled for the first time all season and a couple of missed scoring chances didn’t help.
Stats That Matter
- Imanaga was good, but a high pitch count forced him out a bit earlier than hoped: 5 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 4 K, and 1 BB.
- Happ was able to salvage a pretty rough beginning to the doubleheader in his final two at-bats.
- Nico Hoerner got on base three times Sunday, twice on walks.
Bottom Line
The Cubs continue their pattern of alternating wins and losses in the early season. Chicago has been pretty good at putting together bullpens in recent years, but it’s always kind of messy the first few weeks of the season as they try to figure out which relievers will be reliable.
On Deck
The Cubs head to Tampa for the grand reopening of Tropicana Field on Monday afternoon at 3:10pm CT. Jameson Taillon takes the mound against the Rays’ Shane McClanahan in a contest airing on Marquee with a radio feed on The Score.
