Ben Brown delivered six shutout innings, and the Chicago Cubs erupted for 14 runs over the final three innings to rout the Los Angeles Dodgers 16-0 on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium. The loss marked the worst home shutout defeat in the Dodgers’ franchise history and continued the Cubs’ early-season offensive dominance.
Entering the matchup, oddsmakers favored the Dodgers at home, with most sportsbooks setting the moneyline around -160. The Cubs, backed by a strong offensive record, were listed as underdogs at +140. The game’s projected total hovered around nine runs, a figure Chicago nearly doubled with a late-game scoring explosion.
Brown, making his fourth start of the season, rebounded from a rough outing against San Diego by holding the Dodgers scoreless over six efficient innings. The right-hander threw 84 pitches, relying heavily on a two-pitch mix of four-seam fastballs and knuckle curves. He allowed just two hits, struck out five, and did not issue a walk while improving his record to 2-1.
Offensively, the Cubs compiled 21 hits and scored in five different innings, highlighted by a seven-run seventh and a five-run ninth. Michael Busch led the way against his former team with four hits, including a home run, two doubles, and three RBIs. Carson Kelly added three hits, including two home runs, and drove in three. Ian Happ had three hits and scored twice, while Miguel Amaya delivered a two-run homer in the eighth inning to extend the lead to double digits.
Busch scored in the second inning with a solo home run off Dodgers rookie Roki Sasaki, who was making his fourth major league start. Despite allowing just one run on four hits across five innings, Sasaki took the loss and fell to 0-1. His outing was partly preserved by center fielder Andy Pages, who made a leaping catch at the wall in the third inning to rob Busch of a potential grand slam.
The Cubs maintained a 2-0 lead into the seventh before breaking the game open against the Dodgers’ bullpen. Kelly started the inning with a solo home run off Ben Casparius. Amaya, Busch, Dansby Swanson, and Nico Hoerner each contributed RBIs in the inning, stretching the lead to 7-0. The Cubs continued their offensive onslaught in the eighth and ninth innings, piling on nine more runs and finishing with their most lopsided win.
Chicago now leads Major League Baseball in runs scored with 112, 21 more than the next closest team, the New York Yankees. Their offensive output has played a significant role in the club’s strong start and was on full display against a Dodgers team that entered the series with one of the best home records in the National League.
The series concludes Sunday with the Dodgers set to start right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who enters with a 1-0 record and a 6.43 ERA. The Cubs will counter with right-hander Colin Rea, 1-0 with a 7.36 ERA. Los Angeles will look to avoid a series loss, while Chicago aims to continue its momentum with another strong offensive performance.
