The Chicago Cubs built up a big early lead against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, then had to hang on for dear life. Thanks to clutch relief pitching from Phil Maton and Jacob Webb, they secured a 6-5 victory—their ninth straight win at Wrigley Field.
For much of this early season, two of Jed Hoyer’s key bullpen acquisitions had struggled. Phil Maton spent time on the injured list and didn’t throw well when he pitched. Jacob Webb had not had good outings most of the year. But on Friday, both came through when the Cubs needed them most, combining for three scoreless innings and five strikeouts to nail down the win.
The game started like it would be an easy afternoon. After starter Colin Rea allowed hits to the first two Diamondbacks batters, he struck out the next two and got the third on a fly to right. Then the Cubs offense went to work. Nico Hoerner led off with a double and Moisés Ballesteros walked. Nico took third on a force play by Alex Bregman, and Ian Happ walked to load the bases. After Seiya Suzuki struck out, Michael Busch delivered a two-run single to give the Cubs the lead.
Happ took third on that hit, and Carson Kelly came to the plate. He popped a ball into short center field—and in a rare defensive miscue, two good fielders in Alek Thomas and Ildemaro Vargas just let it drop untouched. Happ scored, and the Cubs would need every single run they got in this game.
The Diamondbacks went down 1-2-3 in the second, but when Hoerner’s turn to bat came up in the bottom of the inning, Matt Shaw was sent up instead. Nico Hoerner had left the game with left-sided neck tightness. According to manager Craig Counsell, "It may be a day or two, but I think it'll be fine after that." Fortunately, it doesn’t sound too serious—good news for Cubs fans.
The Diamondbacks got a run back in the third, but the Cubs’ bullpen duo of Maton and Webb shut the door from there, preserving the win. For a team that’s been searching for consistency in the late innings, this was exactly the kind of performance that builds momentum.