Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (2/24/25): Cubs 10, Padres 5 – Busch Bomb Leads to Win
The Cubs traveled to Peoria to battle the Padres on Monday afternoon. It was a tight game into the middle innings before Chicago broke it wide open on a big swing off the bat of slugging first baseman Michael Busch. That was the highlight of their fifth consecutive victory to open Cactus League play.
Lefty Matthew Boyd got the start in this one and was able to pitch around four baserunners in two innings for a scoreless Cubs debut. A James Triantos groundout and a Travis Jankowski single gave the road team a 2-0 advantage by the 3rd inning.
Ben Brown came on in relief and looked healthy after missing the second half of the 2024 season with a neck issue. The only downside was that the big right-hander gave up a game-tying two-run homer to Eguy Rosario in the 4th.
Chicago exploded for five runs in the top of the 6th beginning with an RBI double by Kevin Alcántara. Busch capped off the rally in style with a three-run dinger to right field that made it a 7-2 score. Both squads would add three more runs and the North Siders went on to 10-5. (Box score)
Key Moment
The Cubs never looked back after the big 6th-inning explosion put them comfortably ahead.
Why the Cubs Won
They have consistently rallied for huge innings in the first five games of the spring. It will be nice if that trend continues into the regular season.
Stats That Matter
- Justin Turner got on base all three times to the plate in his first game in a Cubs uniform with two singles and a walk.
- Miguel Amaya had three hits, including a double, on Monday afternoon.
- Veteran starter Brad Keller had two perfect innings of relief in this one.
Bottom Line
Busch and Amaya being regular contributors in the lineup makes the offense much more formidable. Turner should provide a reliable bench bat and a weapon against left-handed pitchers. Overall, it’s encouraging to see them start strong out of the gate even if the stats don’t count.
On Deck
Chicago is back at Sloan Park Tuesday for a game against the Diamondbacks starting at 2:05pm CT. Jameson Taillon makes his first spring start in a contest airing on Marquee.
