It’s hard to imagine a more entertaining start to a homestand than the show the Cubs put on over the last week, including a comeback from a 10-run eighth inning against the Diamondbacks last Friday and their first walk-off victory of the year against the Dodgers on Tuesday. Of the five games against those teams, three were decided by one run and two went into extra innings.
The Cubs have three more games against the Phillies this weekend at Wrigley Field before heading back on the road.
“It’s a fun team to watch play,” manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday after the 11-10 walk-off win in 10 innings. “That’s what I’d tell you, is come out to the park and watch the team play, because this homestand, they’ve done some amazing things — and some resilient things, most importantly.”
The Cubs have been undeniably good so far, off to a 16-10 start while facing National League West teams 20 times. But they also have been exciting. They’ve had high-scoring performances but haven’t been overly reliant on home runs. They’ve been aggressive on the basepaths but not to the point of recklessness. And although the bullpen allowed the Diamondbacks’ 10-run inning, it also shut down the Dodgers in late innings in two consecutive narrow wins.
“There’s lots of ways you can garner an identity,” veteran left-hander Matthew Boyd said. “And something [Counsell] has always prided us on is we have the ability both on defense and offense to never be out of the game. We have the talent throughout our roster to shut it down. Regardless of the score, you’re never down. You’re never out. And that’s something that’s really special as a team.”
The Cubs have been careful not to over-emphasize the importance of their torrid start. Team president Jed Hoyer made sure to point out that a seven-week rut quickly wiped away their strong April last season.
But the way the Cubs have been winning lately, even Counsell sees an element that could carry through the season.
“I do think being down late in games and winning games that you’re down in, or [where] something happens, is a really good experience for teams to have early in the season,” he said. “Those are important experiences. You’re going up against bullpens, and you’re going up against the best that the other team has to offer, and trying and finding wins in that area is resilience-building.”
It isn’t even May yet, and the Cubs are already done playing the Dodgers, Padres and Diamondbacks during the regular season. They won their season series against the Dodgers and Diamondbacks and split with the Padres.
“It’s something we failed to do last year with the teams in contention,” Counsell said. “We failed to win season series against nearly all of them.”
Indeed, against the six NL teams that made the 2024 playoffs, the Cubs only beat the Dodgers in a season series last year.
“You don’t know if it’s going to matter,” Counsell said. “It’s April, and we’ve got
[136] games left in the schedule. But it’s a swing when you get down to it at the end. It could matter.
“So, it’s that, and it’s a sign you’re playing good baseball against very good teams.”
Fans came out in droves to witness these games, with Wrigley attendance surpassing 36,000 and 37,000 on Tuesday and Wed-nesday, respectively, for the two-game set against the Dodgers. As both games came down to the wire, the crowd was on its feet, locked in on every pitch.
“Tuesday night in April, that was as fun as you’re going to have at a baseball field, right?” Counsell said. “And there’s not many places you can do that at.”
PHILLIES AT CUBS
Friday: Taijuan Walker (1-1, 2.29 ERA) vs. Colin Rea (0-0, 1.32), 1:20 p.m., Marquee, 670-AM.
Saturday: Jesús Luzardo (2-0, 2.08) vs. Ben Brown (2-1, 4.57), 3:05 p.m., Fox 32, 670-AM.
Sunday: Aaron Nola (0-5, 6.43) vs. Jameson Taillon (1-1, 4.73), 6:10 p.m., ESPN, 670-AM.
The Cubs designated Gave Workman for assignment as they continue to tinker with the third-base position group.
The Cubs selected him from Triple-A in a series of roster moves Wednesday.
The Cubs improved to 3-3 against the Dodgers this season with one more game to play Wednesday.
