Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (5/21/25): Cubs 2, Marlins 1 – Horton, Bullpen Shine in Series Win
The Cubs and Marlins met for the deciding game of their series at loanDepot Park Wednesday afternoon. Chicago prevailed in a pitchers’ duel and took home yet another series victory.
Kyle Tucker gave the North Siders a 1st inning lead for the second consecutive contest with a long solo home run off of Max Meyer. Matt Shaw made a great diving play on a ground ball with the bases loaded in the bottom of the frame but he could not throw out Connor Norby, and the tying run scored.
Cade Horton had his best performance as a major leaguer Wednesday, making it all the way into the 6th inning and giving up just a single tally. The Cubs failed to give him any run support, but they finally went ahead in the 8th against Anthony Bender. Tucker singled and left fielder Kyle Stowers bobbled it for an error that allowed Shaw to score the go-ahead run from second.
Daniel Palencia was more successful in his second attempt to save a game in this series, recording three fly ball outs in the 9th to finish the 2-1 victory. (Box score)
Key Moment
Shaw walked to lead off the 8th inning and then stole second base to get into position to score the winning run.
Why the Cubs Won
They got a terrific performance by the entire pitching staff to preserve a one-run win.
Stats That Matter
- Horton really seems to be settling in: 5.1 IP, 1 R, 6 H, 3 K, 3 BB.
- Safe to say Tucker is coming out of his slump as he scalded the ball Wednesday.
- Shaw reached base multiple times in every game in the series.
Bottom Line
The Cubs continue to win series against bad competition, which is exactly what you need to do to be a winning team. Getting major contributions from young players like Horton and Shaw could be the thing that puts Chicago over the top in the division. Even with some noticeable exceptions the bullpen has been much better recently.
On Deck
The Cubs have Thursday off before beginning a series in Cincinnati Friday at 5:40pm CT. Matthew Boyd gets the start against Hunter Greene in a game broadcast on Marquee with radio coverage on 670 The Score.