Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (9/23/26): Marlins 3, Cubs 2 – Bats Stay Quiet in Loss

The Cubs failed to clinch a playoff spot again on Wednesday night with a loss against the Marlins. The home team continued to struggle offensively with the wind blowing in at Wrigley Field, mustering just a pair of runs for the second consecutive night.

No runs scored through the first five innings, with Kevin Gausman and Ryan Gusto pitching excellent baseball. Gausman made his only major mistake in the top of the 6th when Kyle Stowers hit a two-run homer to center field that put Miami ahead 2-0.

Chicago rallied back in the bottom of the frame, eventually loading the bases and knocking Gusto out of the game. Michael Petersen took over and Dansby Swanson found a hole with a broken-bat single that brought home two runners to even the score.

The Marlins got runners on first and third with one out against Ryan Rolison in the top of the 7th, but the lefty got catcher Joe Mack to hit into what was initially ruled an inning-ending double play. However, replay review found that Esteury Ruiz beat the throw to second, allowing the go-ahead run to score.

The Cubs didn’t do much the rest of the way and Miami used top starter Sandy Alcántara to close out the 3-2 victory in the bottom of the 9th. (Box score)

Key Moment

The replay on the overturned double play was incredibly tight and felt like a coin toss. The Marlins ended up getting the call and it decided the game.

Why the Cubs Lost

The lineup just could not get anything going, which wasted another pretty decent pitching effort.

Stats That Matter

• Gausman did a good job for a second consecutive outing: 5.2 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 7 K, and 1 BB.
• Michael Busch was the only batter with multiple hits.

Bottom Line

The Cubs picked a bad time to go into one of their slumps at the plate. There are just four games left in the regular season and more efforts like the first two games of this series will make it a very short October. Chicago is very definitely backing into the playoffs and that needs to change.

On Deck

The final home game of the season is Thursday afternoon at 1:20pm CT. Matthew Boyd gets the nod against Tyler Phillips in a contest available on Marquee with radio coverage on The Score.