Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (8/23/26): Cubs 19, Mariners 2 – Two Slams Help Prevent Sweep
After a pair of painful walk-off losses in the first two games of their series against the Mariners, the Cubs made sure that wouldn’t be a possibility at T-Mobile Park Sunday afternoon. The road squad put up double digits on the scoreboard and salvaged a win in the series finale.
Randy Arozarena made it two consecutive contests with a leadoff home run when he took Shōta Imanaga deep in the bottom of the 1st. Seattle added another tally on a throwing error by catcher Carson Kelly when Victor Robles stole third base.
Chicago quickly erased that 2-0 deficit with a five-spot against Bryce Miller in the top of the 3rd. Michael Conforto hit a solo home run, and then, after three consecutive walks loaded the bases, Ian Happ blasted a grand slam off the foul pole in right field to make it 5-2.
Imanaga did not make it through three innings after throwing 80 pitches, but Aaron Civale replaced him and put up four clean frames. The North Siders added a lot more insurance, beginning with individual runs in the 6th and 7th innings.
The Cubs absolutely exploded in the top of the 8th, scoring nine times and forcing Seattle to use a position player on the mound. The two biggest blows came on a two-run homer by Pete Crow-Armstrong and a second grand slam, this one off the bat of Pedro Ramírez.
Craig Counsell went with his own position player to close out the final inning with catcher Kelly finishing off a 19-2 Chicago victory. (Box score)
Key Moment
Sunday’s game did not get off to a very good start for the Cubs, but Happ’s slam completely turned things around. The at-bat came with two outs in the top of the 3rd, and it might have been a completely different outcome if they had only scored once.
Why the Cubs Won
The offense absolutely exploded and the bullpen did a good job picking up for a bad starting pitching performance.
Stats That Matter
- Imanaga is in a funk right now and was not sharp: 2 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 4 K, and 2 BB.
- Happ got on base three times and had five RBI.
- Ramírez also had three hits and five RBI, with almost all of it coming in the final two innings.
- Seiya Suzuki reached base five times, including three walks.
Bottom Line
The Cubs avoided a possible losing streak, which is important this time of year. A potential playoff rotation still looks pretty hazy right now, even with all the new additions. Imanaga has had stretches of dominance this season but also windows where he has struggled mightily. The same can be said for every starter currently in Chicago’s rotation. The hope is several of them will be trending in the right direction in late September, but it’s anyone’s guess if that happens.
On Deck
The Cubs head to Arizona for what is always a tricky matchup with the Diamondbacks beginning Monday at 8:40pm CT. Kevin Gausman is on the bump against Merrill Kelly in a game broadcast on Marquee with radio coverage on The Score.
