Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (4/23/26): Cubs 8, Phillies 7 – Swanson’s Walk-Off Hit Makes 9 Straight Ws
The Cubs appeared to be on their way to another comfortable victory on Thursday afternoon with a four-run lead in the late innings. The Phillies made a major push to tie the game in the 9th, but the home team would not be denied, pulling out the game in extras for a ninth consecutive win.
Philadelphia struck first when Brandon Marsh connected on a solo home run off of Edward Cabrera in the top of the 2nd. Dansby Swanson evened the score with a sacrifice fly against lefty Cristopher Sánchez in the bottom of the frame.
Michael Busch landed a big blow for Chicago with a three-run homer to center field in the bottom of the 3rd inning to give his team a 4-1 advantage. Marsh came through again with an RBI single in the 4th to cut the Phillies’ deficit to 4-2.
The North Siders added insurance on a massive Ian Happ solo homer in the bottom of the 4th and an RBI groundout by Busch in the 6th to make it 6-2. Philadelphia rallied against Cabrera in the top of the 7th, beginning with the second home run of the game by Marsh. An Alex Bregman throwing error and a sacrifice fly by Garrett Stubbs brought the gap down to 6-5.
Philly tied the game against reliever Jacob Webb on a run-scoring single from pinch-hitter Edmundo Sosa in the top of the 8th. The Cubs answered back with a go-ahead solo home run by Seiya Suzuki off of former teammate Brad Keller in the bottom of the frame.
Philadelphia would not go quietly Thursday, as Adolis Garcia came off the bench and took Caleb Thielbar deep to even things yet again in the 9th. Thielbar then suffered a leg injury and had to leave the game. Riley Martin replaced him and got into a jam, but kept any further runs from scoring.
The contest went to extra innings and Javier Assad stranded the Phillies’ automatic runner in the top of the 10th. Chicago loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame and Swanson came through with a single to walk it off and complete the four-game sweep 8-7. (Box score)
Key Moment
Martin had runners on second and third with one out in the top of the 9th, but got a pop out and a strikeout to escape the pickle and keep the game tied.
Why the Cubs Won
The hitters did just enough to overcome a bit of a bullpen meltdown and prevail in extras.
Stats That Matter
- Cabrera was very good early and got let down a bit by his defense later: 7 IP, 5 R, 3 ER, 6 H, 5 K, and 0 BB.
- Busch is feeling it right now and is fully capable of going on a home run tear.
- The same thing applies to Suzuki, who has gone deep in three consecutive games.
- Carson Kelly had three more hits as well in what has been another huge April.
Bottom Line
The Cubs just completed a perfect 7-0 homestand, and you can’t possibly do better than that. The only negative right now, and it’s a big one, is the continued rash of injuries in the bullpen. They have maintained so far, but it’s going to be harder if more players keep going down. Other than that, Craig Counsell has his squad playing like the contenders everyone was hoping they would be before the season.
On Deck
The Cubs head to Los Angeles for a matchup with the Dodgers starting Friday at 9:15pm CT. Jameson Taillon takes the mound against Emmet Sheehan in a game televised exclusively on Apple TV+ with a radio feed on The Score.
