Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (6/20/26): Blue Jays 8, Cubs 6 – Bullpen Meltdown Spells Doom

The Cubs were in pretty good shape on Saturday afternoon with a 5-0 advantage over the Blue Jays entering the 7th inning. Unfortunately, the bullpen imploded and gave up eight runs over two frames as the home team suffered a painful loss.

Chicago went out in front against Patrick Corbin in the bottom of the 2nd when Matt Shaw hit a three-run homer. Colin Rea was very sharp, pitching into the 6th without giving up any runs. Pete Crow-Armstrong added some insurance in the bottom of that frame with a two-run dinger off of Lazaro Estrada to make it 5-0.

Toronto began the comeback against reliever Trent Thornton in the top of the 7th with a three-run shot off the bat of Daulton Varsho that cut the deficit to 5-3. Jacob Webb gave up consecutive RBI singles to Alejandro Kirk and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. that tied the game in the top of the 8th.

The Blue Jays were not done doing damage against Webb in that inning, as Kazuma Okamoto connected on a go-ahead three-run homer that put his team on top 8-5. The North Siders scored a run on a Nico Hoerner groundout in the bottom of the frame, but that was all they would get as they fell in a 8-6 defeat. (Box score)

Key Moment

The Cubs had the bases loaded with nobody out in the bottom of the 8th, but Jays closer Louis Varland escaped the jam with only one run scoring.

Why the Cubs Lost

They failed to bring home some additional runners, but the main culprit was definitely the bullpen.

Stats That Matter

• Rea doesn’t get any of the blame for this one: 5.1 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 3 K, and 0 BB.
• PCA got on base three more times and is red hot.
• Dansby Swanson had a walk and two hits, including a double.

Bottom Line

That was a very tough loss for the Cubs, and the bullpen is starting to become an issue. Injuries aside, the bigger problem has been that several relievers they were counting on at the start of the season have struggled. To make matters worse, no unexpected options have emerged as reliable relievers as they have in previous years. Until that happens, the late innings of close games will be adventurous.

On Deck

The deciding game of the series is Sunday at 1:20pm CT. Shōta Imanaga goes up against Dylan Cease in a matchup televised on Marquee with a radio broadcast on The Score.