Game Recap: Cubs rally back in win over Guardians

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 4 hours ago

GOODYEAR - As much as no one wants to pay attention to the wins and losses in Spring, this is the one time when everyone would love for these wins to carry over. For whatever reason, the Chicago Cubs have been one of the best teams in the Cactus League this season, which has shown since their first game of 2025.

A lot of that has to do with the Cubs getting to Mesa earlier than most teams, as they are playing in the Japan series later this week. That means that most of their roster is up to speed much quicker than the rest of the teams in Arizona, as they have to be ready to go come March 18. In the meantime, the Cubs still had some business to take care of as they traveled to Goodyear, Arizona, to face off against the Cleveland Guardians.

Despite the Cubs digging themselves a massive 4-0 in the early innings, the Cubs offense got rolling late as they used a trio of two-run innings to grab the lead before tacking on late. The result was another win for the Cubs as they topped the Guardians 7-4. Making his final start of the Spring before pitching opening day was Shota Imanaga, as he has been about as dialed in as you can be this Spring.

For the most part, Imanaga continued to pitch well as he walked one and struck out four across 4 1/3 innings, which has been a theme for him this Spring. Another theme has been the long negative with him so far, as Imanaga was touched up for four runs on four hits in his outing, and he wasn't as sharp as he was in previous starts.

All four runs came in one inning, and it was once again the long ball that did him in, which has been an issue for him since making his MLB debut last season. Lane Thomas got Imanaga to open the bottom of the second with a solo shot before the Juan Brito three-run shot gave the Guardians a 4-0 lead through two. Take those two hits out of his outing, and Imanaga was once again solid as the Guardians were held scoreless the rest of the way.

Cleveland had to feel fortunate to have the lead as the Cubs jumped all over Tristan McKenzie in the early innings, touching him up for four hits over the first two innings but failing to drive anyone in. You had to think the Cubs' luck would change eventually, and with Christian Franklin leading off the top of the third with a double, the Cubs' offense was threatening to score for the third consecutive inning.

This time, they were able to cash in as Matt Shaw connected for his second RBI of the Spring with a single to make this a 4-1 game. Shaw played a massive role in that inning as he would steal second later in the inning before trotting home on the Gage Workman single to make this a 4-2 game. Those were the game's final runs until the sixth inning, as both teams started to settle in on the mound.

Still trailing by that 4-2 score in the sixth, Workman continued his great Spring and reached base with a one-out single to set the Cubs offense up. Workman would eventually steal second, but with two outs, the Cubs were in danger of wasting another scoring chance. Leave it to James Triantos and Reece McGuire to change that as they connected for back-to-back RBI singles, and suddenly, this was a 4-4 game.

A big reason the Cubs were able to bounce back to mount a comeback was the performance of Jordan Wicks, who proved he could handle a relief role. Still in the running for the No. 5 spot, Wicks was excellent across his four innings, scattering just three hits and striking out two without allowing a run.

One inning after tying the game, the Cubs kept their trend alive when it came to scoring two runs in an inning as Darius Hill led off the seventh with a single. Hill reached second on the Chase Strumpf walk only to have Dixon Machado drive in the winning run with an RBI single to make this a 5-4 Cubs lead. Chicago would tack on an additional run later in the inning on the Parker Chavers grounders as they took a 6-4 lead into the bottom of the seventh.

Chicago continued to take care of business in the later innings, with Hill capping off the scoring with a solo shot in the top of the ninth, closing out a 7-4 victory for the Cubs.

The Cubs' offense has been lights out most of the Spring, and with 15 more hits, that continued. Hill and Shaw were two of the four players who delivered multiple hits, joining Workman and Triantos. Those players were also responsible for four RBIs.