Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (4/28/24): Red Sox 5, Cubs 4 – Tauchman HR Not Enough in Walk-Off Loss

The Cubs and Red Sox met for the rubber match of their three-game series at Fenway Park Sunday night and it looked early as if it would be another easy win for the home team. Unlike Saturday night, however, Chicago staged a dramatic late rally to tie the score before ultimately losing in walk off fashion.

Hayden Wesneski got the start for the injured Jordan Wicks and ran into problems in the opening frame. A Nico Hoerner error followed by a walk put two men on base with two outs for catcher Connor Wong, who singled home a run. Wong added an RBI single that bounced off the third base bag in the 3rd inning to increase Boston’s advantage to 2-0.

The Cubs could not figure out Red Sox starter Tanner Houck, collecting just two hits through the first six frames Sunday. Yency Almonte surrendered a two-run triple to Jarren Duran to make the score 4-0 in the bottom of the 6th. Chicago finally got on the board against Houck with an RBI single from Matt Mervis in the 7th.

Chicago threatened again the following frame after singles from Pete Crow-Armstrong and Hoerner put two on with nobody out against former Cub reliever Chris Martin. Mike Tauchman came up to bat and cracked a game-tying three-run homer to dead center.

Tauch about a clutch knock!

We are tied! 😤 pic.twitter.com/qhyvdK8ekn

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 29, 2024

Unfortunately for the Cubs, Mark Leiter Jr. had his first bad outing of 2024 in the bottom of the 9th inning. A walk and a single put runners on the corners with nobody out for Tyler O’Neill. The slugger did not win this game with power, instead looping a pop-up that landed just past the outstretched glove of Dansby Swanson for a walk-off single as Boston triumphed 5-4. (Box score)

Key Moment

O’Neill’s pop-up bounced off the tip of Swanson’s mitt, but it would’ve been a very tough play at the plate if he had caught it and Duran had tried to tag from third. It’s all a moot point anyway as the ball found the grass for a single.

Why the Cubs Lost

The offense could not get going early but did a nice job in the final innings. The bullpen was just not able to hold on late and the Red Sox snuck out a win.

Stats That Matter

• Wesneski did pretty well starting on short notice and if he had some better luck he might not have given up any runs Sunday: 4 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 H, 3 K, and 1 BB.
• Tauchman was the only Cubs player to reach base twice with a single and the homer and has been excellent lately.
• Daniel Palencia was terrific in two scoreless innings with three strikeouts in his return from Iowa.

Bottom Line

It was nice to see Chicago fight back and even the score despite the fact they eventually lost the game. With all the injuries piling up, they need that battling mentality until some of the walking wounded return to action. Tauchman has really been a pleasant surprise ever since he entered the Cubs lineup last year.

On Deck

Next up for the North Siders is four games in New York against the Mets starting Monday at 6:10pm CT. Jameson Taillon gets the start facing Luis Severino with a broadcast available on Marquee and 670 The Score.