If you turned off the TV early or fell asleep before the West Coast wrap-up, honestly, I don't blame you. But you missed a mess. The score of cubs game last night tells a story of missed opportunities and a relief core that seems to be throwing BP at the worst possible moments. It wasn't just a loss; it was one of those "stare at the ceiling for twenty minutes" kind of games that makes you question the depth of this roster as we crawl through the 2026 season.
The Cubs dropped a heartbreaker, finishing 5-4 after a late-inning collapse that felt all too familiar to anyone who’s been following this rotation lately.
What actually happened with the score of cubs game last night
The game started with so much promise. Shota Imanaga was dealing early, localized entirely within his usual rhythm of high fastballs and those devastating splitters that make even veteran hitters look like they’re swinging underwater. By the fourth inning, Chicago had a comfortable 3-0 lead. Michael Busch stayed hot, launching a solo shot into the bleachers that had the fans thinking this was going to be a laugher.
It wasn't.
Baseball is cruel. One minute you're coasting, and the next, your middle relief is walking the leadoff man on four pitches. That's exactly where the wheels started wobbling. The score of cubs game last night shifted dramatically in the 7th. A couple of bloop singles and a legitimate defensive lapse in left field turned a manageable situation into a pressure cooker. When the dust settled on the top of the 8th, that 3-0 lead had evaporated into a 4-3 deficit.
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The North Siders did show some heart. Nico Hoerner, who has been the heartbeat of this lineup despite some power fluctuations this year, scorched a double down the line to tie it up in the bottom of the 8th. The crowd was electric. You could feel that old Wrigley magic starting to bubble up. But then came the 9th.
Adbert Alzolay, or whoever Craig Counsell decides to trust on a given Tuesday, just didn't have the command. A hanging slider—the kind of pitch that major league hitters eat for breakfast—got deposited into the seats. 5-4. That was the final. A quiet bottom of the 9th, three up, three down, and just like that, the Cubs are looking at the standings with a bit more anxiety than they had at 7:00 PM.
The bullpen problem is real
We need to talk about the relief pitching. It’s the elephant in the room every time we look at the score of cubs game last night.
Statistically, the Cubs' bullpen is hovering in the bottom third of the league for Inherited Runners Scored (IRS%). Basically, when the starter leaves a mess, the guys coming in are just handing out towels instead of cleaning it up. Last night, the leverage was high, and the execution was low. You can't win a division—especially not this year's NL Central—if you can't lock down a three-run lead in the final third of the game.
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It's not just about velocity. Everybody throws 98 now. It's about the "bend but don't break" mentality that seems to be missing. When the opposing hitters sensed blood in the 7th, they didn't chase. They waited. They forced the Cubs' arms to come into the zone, and when they did, they didn't miss.
Why the offense isn't blameless either
It's easy to blame the pitchers. It's the obvious move. But let's be real: the Cubs left 11 runners on base. 11!
You cannot go 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and expect to cruise. Cody Bellinger had a chance to break it open in the 5th with the bases loaded and popped out on a first-pitch heater. That’s the difference between a 6-0 blowout and a 3-0 "maybe we'll hold on" situation. The score of cubs game last night would look a lot different if the middle of the order realized that the game doesn't end after the first five innings.
The hitting approach looked a bit frantic once the lead started shrinking. Instead of working counts, guys were fishing for the hero swing. You see it all the time in young teams, but this isn't exactly a group of rookies anymore. There needs to be a level of professional hitting that just wasn't present in the late innings.
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Looking ahead at the schedule
One loss doesn't end a season. Obviously. But these "stomach punch" losses tend to linger if you don't wash them off immediately. The Cubs are heading into a stretch where they face some of the top-tier offenses in the league. If the score of cubs game last night is a preview of how the late innings are going to go against the Dodgers or the Braves next week, we're in for a very long month.
The rotation is holding its own. Imanaga and Steele are providing the foundation. But the bridge to the 9th inning is currently made of wet cardboard.
What needs to change immediately
- Bullpen Roles: Counsell needs to stop managing by "feel" and maybe look at the hard data on who can actually handle high-leverage situations. Some guys are great with a clean inning but crumble when they inherit runners.
- Plate Discipline: The chase rate in the 8th and 9th innings was nearly 40%. That's essentially gifting the opposing pitcher an easy out.
- Defensive Focus: The error in left field didn't show up as a "run" on the scoreboard immediately, but it extended the inning and hiked the pitch count. Clean baseball wins games.
Honestly, being a Cubs fan is a lifestyle choice that involves a lot of heartbreak, and last night was a prime example. You get the highs of a Michael Busch moonshot and the lows of a blown save within two hours.
Actionable steps for the next series
If you’re heading to the ballpark or just watching from your couch, keep an eye on these specific things. Don't just look at the final score; look at the "how" and the "why" of the game's progression.
- Watch the 6th Inning: This is the pivot point. Notice if the starter is being stretched too thin or if the first man out of the pen is actually hitting his spots.
- Monitor the Walk Rate: If the Cubs pitchers give up more than three walks in the first five innings, they are historically 60% more likely to lose the lead later in the game.
- Check the Lineup Fluidity: See if Hoerner stays in the lead-off spot or if they try to shake things up to spark some life into the bottom half of the order.
The score of cubs game last night is a reminder that in baseball, no lead is safe and no inning is unimportant. We’ll see if they can bounce back tonight and prove that last night was just a fluke rather than a feature of the 2026 season.
Stay tuned to the box scores, but more importantly, watch the pitch location. That’s where the real story is told.