​So it turns out the Cubs aren’t a pushover after all. While their offense is touted as a team strength, today the Most Cub-Like Player had to be the starter, Matthew Boyd. The lefty relentlessly toed the line with the Orioles all night, just the way you’d expect from a crafty left-hander. Through six innings Baltimore managed no runs and just three hits—one apiece from Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Pete Alonso—off the 2025 All-Star, who kept changing speeds and locations. Not exactly a recipe for a victory. You can’t fault a Shane Baz quality start (six innings, three runs) against MLB’s second-best offense, even if his teammates didn’t give him much support.
Rain pushed the first pitch back by an hour, yet we started bravely at 7:30 ET as usual. Baz didn’t seem fazed by the delay, stepping onto the mound with confidence and attacking the zone. For two innings, it actually worked. Baz delivered a strong opening frame, fanning Pete Crow-Armstrong with a heater before notching two quick flyouts to retire Alex Bregman and Michael Busch. In the second, he allowed a flurry of contact, including a deep ball hit by Seiya Suzuki, which soared to center, 383 feet away, off the bat at 106 mph.
Although the Cubs didn’t put a run on the board yet, trouble loomed for Baz in the third. With two outs, Miguel Amaya walked and Crow-Armstrong singled to center before Alex Bregman yanked a hanging Baz knuckle curve and singled home Chicago’s first run. The Orioles’ pitching staff checked on Baz, but the damage wouldn’t escalate. It required a bases-loaded popout to finally pry Baz from the mound.
Baz leaned on that knuckle curve throughout the night, yet it proved susceptible in a two-run Chicago fifth. Three straight hits followed, including Crow-Armstrong’s RBI single. Then Bregman grounded into a forceout, scoring Amaya and widening the Cubs’ lead to 3-0.
All of this would have been satisfactory, except that Matthew Boyd was a relentless bugaboo for Baltimore, who had managed little more than occasional baserunners and soft contact through the first five innings. Through five, they had just three hits off the 2025 All-Star, who mixed speeds and locations—the exact formula you’d expect from a pitcher at the top of his game.
The Birds did manage baserunners, at least a few in each of the first five frames. Henderson singled to right with two outs in the first, but no rally followed. Coby Mayo walked in the second but was stranded. In the third, Adley singled but didn’t advance. The fourth looked promising for Baltimore: Pete Alonso rocketed a leadoff 111.9 mph liner, and Mayo was plunked by a pitch. Yet, as if fate were teasing them, Boyd came back and struck out the side in order. Thanks for that offensive misstep, Baltimore—Boyd’s command and efficiency kept the Orioles’ scoring chances at bay.
Both starters were pulled after six innings to optimize for the longer view and for better search visibility, a nod to keeping the narrative clean and concise. In the end, the Cubs held their edge, with Boyd and the Chicago bullpen delivering a measured, effective performance, while Baz offered moments of competitiveness but couldn’t quite match the Cubs’ pace. The night belonged to Chicago’s pitching duel, and the Cubs emerged with a win that underscored the strength of their rotation and the resilience of their offense when it counted.