Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (9/25/25): Mets 8, Cubs 5 – Suzuki Homers Twice in Loss

The Cubs did not get off to a very good start against the Mets on Thursday night when a bad starting pitching performance by Shōta Imanaga put them in a six-run hole. Chicago hit three homers to try and climb back into the game, but they came up short to lose both the game and the series.

New York scored a pair of runs in the opening inning, the first of which came when Dansby Swanson fell into the stands behind third base after catching a pop-up. Going out of play automatically advanced the runner home from third. Brandon Nimmo had a more conventional RBI single to bring in the other run, and Francisco Lindor hit a solo homer to make it 3-0 in the 3rd inning.

Brett Baty had the big blow with a three-run homer in the top of the 4th to increase the Mets’ lead to 6-0. Young starter Nolan McLean piled up strikeouts early, but Seiya Suzuki had his number with a solo shot in the bottom of the frame to get the North Siders on the board.

Swanson hit one out in the 5th to make it 6-2 and give the Cubs a little bit of momentum. New York responded immediately yet again when Tyrone Taylor doubled home two more to restore their advantage to 8-2 in the 6th.

Suzuki went deep for the second time in the bottom of the frame, this one a three-run homer that cut Chicago’s deficit in half. That would be it for the scoring, however, as the Mets went on to secure an 8-5 victory. (Box score)

Key Moment

The Baty dinger gave New York a big enough cushion to hold off any comeback attempt.

Why the Cubs Lost

It’s very hard to win when your starting pitcher gets blown up for eight runs.

Stats That Matter

• Imanaga did not have it Thursday: 5.2 IP, 8 R, 9 H, 3 K, 1 BB.
• Suzuki had his first two home runs since July.

Bottom Line

The Cubs are not playing very good baseball heading into October and they need someone to catch fire in the playoffs. Suzuki is capable of doing that, so his performance on Thursday could be important. Chicago needs the rotation to deliver as well, and some shaky outings combined with an injury to Cade Horton are making that a bit of a dicey proposition at the moment.

On Deck

The final series of the regular season against the Cardinals begins Friday afternoon at 1:20pm CT. The Colin Rea faces Miles Mikolas in a game broadcast on MLB Network and Marquee with a radio feed on 670 The Score.