Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (7/22/25): Cubs 6, Royals 0 – Boyd Brilliant in W

The Cubs and Royals met in the second game of their series on a very tranquil Tuesday night at Wrigley Field. Chicago had a much better starting pitching performance in this one and avoided a losing streak with a shutout victory.

The North Siders grabbed the lead against old friend Rich Hill in the 2nd inning on an infield hit by Matt Shaw, and then an RBI groundout by Nico Hoerner. Matthew Boyd did an excellent job protecting that 2-0 advantage, retiring the first 11 Kansas City batters he faced.

Pete Crow-Armstrong added a run-scoring double off Hill in the 5th inning, but was thrown out at third attempting to get a triple. Boyd eventually went seven scoreless frames before exiting with the Cubs in front 3-0 in the 7th.

Chicago would get three more insurance runs in the bottom of the inning against reliever Jonathan Bowlan. Seiya Suzuki had a bloop single, Carson Kelly hit a sacrifice fly, and Kyle Tucker stole home on the back end of a double steal to make it 6-0. That would be the final score of the Royals went quietly in the final couple of frames. (Box score)

Key Moment

Kansas City had the bases loaded with one out in the 5th down 2-0. Kyle Isbel hit a line drive right at shortstop Dansby Swanson, who caught the ball and dove to tag Freddy Fermin to second base for an inning-ending double play.

Why the Cubs Won

This victory was all about the pitching with an outstanding effort by the starter.

Stats That Matter

• Boyd has now put up 23 consecutive scoreless innings: 7 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 5 K, 1 BB.
• Swanson had a pair of hits and is really starting to heat up.
• Hoerner had a couple of knocks and has been good in the leadoff spot against lefties.

Bottom Line

The Cubs really hit it out of the park with the Boyd signing, and he is turning into a serious Cy Young candidate. Chicago once again stopped any kind of losing streak from developing, which is huge if you want to make a playoff run.

On Deck

The rubber match of the series is Wednesday afternoon at 1:20pm CT. The Cubs have not named a starter yet and Kansas City is going with Seth Lugo in a game available on Marquee with a radio feed on 670 The Score.