Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (8/1/24): Cubs 5, Cardinals 4 – Tauch-Off Caps Stunning Rally in 9th

The Cubs appeared to be headed for another low-scoring defeat Thursday night with the Cardinals ahead by two in the 9th inning and one out with nobody on base. Then Chicago got four hits in the next five batters against St. Louis closer Ryan Helsley to earn a most unexpected 5-4 victory.

Paul Goldschmidt got the Redbirds on the board in the top of the 1st when he had a long solo home run to left off of Shōta Imanaga. The North Siders evened the score against Sonny Gray in the 2nd inning on an RBI single from Dansby Swanson.

Imanaga and Gray pitched well after that and the game remained tied into the 6th inning. Seiya Suzuki finally broke up the deadlock with an absolute tank that went 459 feet to center and put the Cubs on top 2-1. The lead would be short-lived as the Cardinals rallied in the following frame.

After a one-out single, Masyn Winn hit a fly ball that just barely made the basket in left field for a go-ahead two-run homer. Imanaga then allowed a double to Goldschmidt and was relieved by Jorge López, who surrendered a run-scoring single to Nolan Arenado that put St. Louis ahead 4-2.

The game completely changed in the bottom of the 9th after Cody Bellinger hit a solo home run against Helsley with one out to cut the deficit to 4-3. Nico Hoerner singled, stole second, and scored the tying run on a Swanson double with two outs. Then pinch-hitter Mike Tauchman slapped the game-winning double down the left field line to walk it off. (Box score)

TAUCHMAN WALKOFF! pic.twitter.com/c5tASNzcPW

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 2, 2024

Key Moment

The Cubs kept battling in their last at-bat, something they haven’t done very often in 2024. The last two runs came via two-out hits with runners in scoring position.

Why the Cubs Won

When they score more than four runs in a game, they win a majority of the time. The bullpen did a good job keeping the Cardinals from adding any more insurance in the final two innings.

Stats That Matter

• Imanaga pitched well but ran out of steam in his final inning: 6.2 IP, 4 R, 10 H, 7 K, and 0 BB.
• Suzuki stayed hot with the massive homer and a single.
• Bellinger has been scorching coming out of his injury with two more extra-base hits Thursday.

Bottom Line

If nothing else, it’s very fun to see the Cubs do big damage to the Cardinals’ playoff hopes. This is a real gut-punch loss for St. Louis as they fight for a Wild Card spot. The last two games demonstrate how important Bellinger is to Chicago’s offense when he is rolling.

On Deck

Game two of the series is Friday at 1:20pm CT. Javier Assad faces off against Erick Fedde in a contest available on MLB Network (out of market only), Marquee, and 670 The Score.