Pete Crow-Armstrong continued his impressive offensive surge on Wednesday night, homering and driving in four runs to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 7-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field. The Cubs completed a two-game sweep and improved to 4-1 on their current eight-game homestand.
Entering the game as slight underdogs, most sportsbooks listed the Cubs at around +115 on the moneyline, with the Dodgers favored at approximately -135. The run total was projected at 8.5, a mark surpassed by the sixth inning as both offenses delivered early and frequent production.
Crow-Armstrong’s home run was part of a strong overall effort, as he finished the two-game series going 6-for-9 with two home runs and seven runs batted in. The 22-year-old center fielder has collected 21 hits in his last 53 at-bats, raising his batting average to .396 over the past 13 games. His contributions have been instrumental in keeping the Cubs atop the National League Central standings.
Chicago’s offense stayed hot after Tuesday night’s dramatic 11-10 walk-off win. In that contest, Miguel Amaya tied the game with a two-out homer in the ninth before Ian Happ delivered the winning RBI single in the tenth. Wednesday’s victory gave the Cubs a 4-3 edge in their season series against the reigning World Series champions.
Los Angeles, playing without starting catcher Will Smith due to wrist soreness, struck first in the fifth inning. Helped by a throwing error from Cubs starter Matthew Boyd, the Dodgers scored three runs in the frame. Mookie Betts drove in one with a two-out double, and Teoscar Hernández followed with a two-run homer — his sixth of the season — giving the Dodgers a 5-3 lead.
Chicago responded immediately in the bottom of the fifth. Dodgers reliever Jack Dreyer walked the bases loaded, setting up Dansby Swanson’s two-run single that tied the game at 5-5. Nico Hoerner followed with a sacrifice fly to score Michael Busch, and Crow-Armstrong capped the rally with an RBI single that put the Cubs in front 7-5.
Boyd, who took a no-decision, allowed 10 hits and three earned runs across six innings. Jack Dreyer was tagged with the loss, falling to 2-1 after giving up the lead in the fifth. Daniel Palencia and Julian Merryweather each recorded scoreless innings in relief before Porter Hodge closed the game with a perfect ninth to secure his first save of the season. Hodge ended the game by striking out Shohei Ohtani for the second out of the inning.
The Dodgers narrowed the margin with a solo homer from Andy Pages, his second in as many nights, but could not recover. Hernández finished with four RBIs for Los Angeles, now dropping three of its last four games.
The Cubs, who have scored 39 runs in their last five games, will continue their homestand on Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies with right-hander Colin Rea set to start. The Dodgers head to Pittsburgh for a three-game series beginning Friday, with right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto scheduled to take the mound carrying a 3-1 record and a league-leading 0.93 ERA.
