A matchup of two teams at the top of the league standings, but currently going in opposite directions, and that continued today when the Dodgers jumped out to a four-run lead but the Cubs scored six unanswered against the pen to give them a 6-4 victory to start the series.
======
Cubs starter Jameson Taillon began with a clean 1st and then worked around a lead-off walk in the 2nd. But again it was the bottom of the order that caused trouble in the 3rd, as Hyeseong Kim led off with a single and Alex Freeland drew a walk. However, two outs later and it looked like the Dodgers might blow another chance, but Will Smith saved everybody by smashing an oppo homer (3) for a 3-0 Dodgers lead.
America’s catcher, Will Smith! pic.twitter.com/ZIf53LfEHP
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 25, 2026
Kyle Tucker was then robbed (I think) of a homer by Seiya Suzuki in right to end that rally.
Fortunately, that turned things over for the bottom of the order again in the 4th, and Max Muncy got a RISP with a one-out double. That was subsequently plated by a two-out single from Kim to push the lead to 4-0.
Because none of the official accounts posted it, Kim’s RBI single. pic.twitter.com/RD3Ema4pF8
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) April 25, 2026
Taillon then completed his outing with a walk but nothing else in a scoreless 5th.
Things looked great for the Dodgers at that point.
——
Speaking of, it looked like Emmet Sheehan was finally rounding into form, as he’s shown improvement as the season has gone along, and today he seemed to put it together.
Sheehan started by retiring the first 10 batters he faced, including a whopping seven strikeouts. But that run was snapped by a one-out Michael Busch double in the 4th, and then Alex Bregman followed with a single up the middle. Busch was waived home, but Andy Pages came up gunning and threw him out at the plate. Four pitches later, Sheehan was out of a potential jam.
GOT ‘EM. pic.twitter.com/96gYCSd83z
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 25, 2026
He then allowed just a two-out walk in the 5th, but faced some traffic in the 6th. A lead-off HBP and a one-out single cornered the runners, but he came back to strikeout the next two to keep the zero on the board.
That wasn’t the case for much longer.
After Sheehan got the lead-off man in the 7th, he then gave up a groundball single that deflected off Freddie Freeman‘s glove, and that was the end of his night.
A stellar outing: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 10 K, 101 Pitches.
That one run came via a mess after Alex Vesia entered and he didn’t really know where the ball was going but still almost got out of it. After he got the second out to start, he then issued a four-pitch walk then Dansby Swanson squared a ball to left-center that Pages tracked down on the track … and just dropped for a triple that cut the lead to 4-2.
three bags for our shortstop. pic.twitter.com/u9s8dimdVn
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 25, 2026
Shocking play for a guy who has developed into a plus-plus defender.
Nico Hoerner then blooped a single to left to plate another run and all of a sudden it was 4-3 before Vesia was able to complete the 7th.
aaand your cubs are within one! pic.twitter.com/VebKdLu6fH
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 25, 2026
That one-run lead didn’t last long, as Blake Treinen entered in the 8th and gave up a lead-off homer to Bregman to tie things up.
ALEX BREGMAN TIES IT pic.twitter.com/m1S4n9mnpT
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 25, 2026
After a single followed, and on a one-out double from Moises Ballesteros, Pages threw on the run in the gap to Kim, who uncorked a great relay to Smith at home to keep things knotted. Treinen did eventually manage to get out of the 8th.
ANDY. HYESEONG. WILL. pic.twitter.com/9QCytnSCZs
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 25, 2026
That felt for naught in the 9th, as Tanner Scott entered and reverted to his old ways, giving up a single and then a homer to Swanson to make it 6-4 Cubs.
AHHHHHHHH pic.twitter.com/daE4iYNFpu
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 25, 2026
He got two outs, but Edgardo Henriquez got the last out of the 9th.
——
For the Cubs, Ryan Rolison got a clean 6th, but gave up a double to Pages down the line in right to begin the 7th. The problem is he went for third and got thrown out to start the inning. That cost them when a two-out single from Freeland followed before Rolison was able to get the last out. He was also able to get a 1-2-3 inning in the 8th, which gave him three shutout frames.
RELAY BASEBALL. pic.twitter.com/6u4gAtiUmE
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 25, 2026
In the 9th, it was Corbin Martin for the save, and he did it in 1-2-3 fashion.
——
Pete Crow-Armstrong got a warm welcome.
It seems Dodgers fans have not forgotten Pete Crow-Armstrong’s comments … pic.twitter.com/oWDTODxuRA
— Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) April 25, 2026
======
17-9 on the season now, but 2-5 in their last seven.
The two teams will get back at it tomorrow on FOX at 1:15 PM HT/4:15 PM PT/7:15 PM ET with Roki Sasaki looking to find both process and results against Colin Rea.
