The Chicago Cubs took Game One against the Texas Rangers by a score of 7-0. On a freezing night in Chicago, the Cubs stayed hot, putting on a complete game masterclass.
A bounce back from Justin Steele
That dominance began with the starting pitching. After getting off to a slow start this season, Cubs Ace Justin Steele was superb tonight.
Facing off against the world series champions from a couple of seasons ago, Steele was completely locked in. He would go on to pitch seven innings of zero-run ball.
He allowed just three hits and two walks. This is the type of performance that Steele needed to remind Cubs fans that he can be an ace-caliber pitcher in the MLB.
Another great day from the offense
The Cubs’ offense got things going in the second inning against Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi. Miguel Amaya would break the scoreless tie with his second inning sacrifice fly.
In the third inning Jon Berti was hit by a pitch, then promptly stole second and third. He would then score on an infield grounder, showcasing his value to the Cubs off the bench. Berti has ridden the bench since his two starts in Tokyo, being replaced by the returning Nico Hoerner. He seems to have guaranteed himself a spot as a fifth infielder/pinch runner with his defensive versatility and baserunning prowess.
The Cubs would end the night with seven stolen bases as they ran wild on Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka. So far, the Cubs have stolen 22 bases and have been caught only once. Their speed on the bases has been a real weapon so far this season.
After a quiet fourth inning, Michael Busch would triple to get another run on the board for the Cubs. Busch had a great night, going two for three with a run scored and a run driven in.
Then, in the sixth, Ian Happ would single to score Miguel Amaya and Pete Crow-Armstrong to make it 5-0 Cubs. Then, one batter later Kyle Tucker would single to score Happ after he stole second. Similarly, Suzuki would score Tucker one batter after that.
A stress-free ending
After leaving the game after the seventh inning, Steele gave way to Colin Rea. Rea would shut out the Rangers in the last two innings without incident, giving the Cubs a 7-0 victory. Rea lost out on a spot in the rotation to youngster Ben Brown, but he will still give the Cubs value out of the bullpen.
The Cubs have been red hot as of late. The offense has been scoring plenty of runs, and the bullpen has looked much better. Despite a gauntlet of an early schedule, the Cubs found themselves at 8-5 after the first week of April.
The Cubs and Rangers will play in Game Two of the series tomorrow. The Cubs will give the ball to Jameson Taillon, while the Rangers will give way to Patrick Corbin. After putting themselves in an early 0-2 hole, the Cubs have rebounded to win eight of their first 11 games this season.