Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (3/27/25): Cubs 10, D-Backs 5 – Happ, Amaya Lead Cubs to First W
The Cubs began their domestic regular season schedule against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field Thursday night. It was a high-scoring affair, and Chicago came out with the victory thanks to a big contribution from their young catcher.
Arizona went in front against Cubs starter Justin Steele in the bottom of the 1st inning when Josh Naylor hit a bloop RBI single. The road team answered immediately in the following frame when Ian Happ hit a two-run double off of Zac Gallen. Kyle Tucker then knocked in Happ to give the North Siders a 3-1 lead.
Eugenio Suárez did what he usually does against the Cubs, hitting a solo homer to cut the margin to 3-2 in the bottom of the 2nd. Happ continued his big night with his own solo shot to restore the two-run lead in the 4th. Arizona grabbed that tally right back in the bottom of the frame on an infield single by Geraldo Perdomo.
Miguel Amaya lined a three-run double that clanged out of the glove of center fielder Jake McCarthy on a diving attempt in the 5th. Pete Crow-Armstrong had kept the inning alive by using his blazing speed to beat out a routine force play at second base that would have been the third out as Chicago increased its advantage to 7-3.
Nico Hoerner made his return to the lineup in style with a run-scoring single in the 6th that made it 8-3. Nate Pearson came on in relief for Steele in the bottom of the frame and loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batter with nobody out. Pearson managed to avoid disaster but gave up a pair of sacrifice flies to cut the Diamondbacks’ deficit to 8-5.
Amaya provided huge insurance in the top of the 9th with his second RBI double that plated two more runs and increased the Cubs’ lead to 10-5. The D-backs scraped together a run off of closer Ryan Pressly in a non-save situation, but the North Siders held on for their first win of the season by a score of 10-6. (Box score)
Key Moment
PCA got a tremendous jump to beat out the force play in the 5th inning and completely flipped the momentum of the game. D-backs reliever Ryan Nelson thought he had escaped the jam, but then he made a mistake the Cubs pounced on.
Why the Cubs Won
The bottom of the lineup delivered in a big way to expand on the lead against a talented Arizona offense that was a major threat to come back late.
Stats That Matter
- Steele did not have his best stuff but he battled through to get the win: 5 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 2 K, and 1 BB.
- Happ also walked in addition to his double and home run.
- Amaya hit the ball hard on his two doubles; 5 RBI is a career-high.
- Michael Busch had two hits and a walk Thursday night.
Bottom Line
The Cubs need their young hitters to step up if they’re going to compete this season, and this game was an indication that they just might. Crow-Armstrong and Amaya were great at the end of last season and this spring, and they make the lineup much deeper when they play well. It’s only the third game of the season, but it’s very nice to get that first win in the books to allay worries about a long losing streak out of the gate.
On Deck
Game two of the series is Friday night at 8:40pm CT. Jameson Taillon takes the mound against Merrill Kelly in a contest available on Marquee with radio coverage on 670 The Score.
