Baseball fans in Anaheim witnessed a thriller on Friday night as the Chicago Cubs edged out the Los Angeles Angels 3-2, kicking off their nine-game road trip in dramatic fashion. The night was loaded with storylines: Pete Crow-Armstrong snapped a lengthy home run drought with a clutch ninth-inning blast, Kyle Tucker rediscovered his power stroke, and Yoán Moncada put on a show for the Angels with a pair of homers. All of this unfolded against the backdrop of the Cubs’ well-documented struggles in road series openers, making their latest victory all the more noteworthy.
Coming into the contest, the Cubs were carrying a heavy burden: they’d lost 10 straight first games of series on the road, a streak dating all the way back to June 3. Their record in those situations was a dismal 6-14, and overall, the club sat at 21-21 with a much stronger home record (15-7) than on the road. For a team looking to keep pace in the National League playoff race, breaking that streak was more than just a matter of pride—it was a necessity.
On the mound for the Cubs was Javier Assad, freshly recalled from Triple-A Iowa, though he never actually made the trip to Des Moines. Assad, working on regular rest after last pitching on Sunday against the Pirates, had never faced the Angels before. That unfamiliarity may have worked in his favor, as the right-hander turned in a stellar performance. Assad carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning, ultimately tossing six innings of one-run ball. He kept the Angels’ hitters off balance and gave his team exactly the kind of start they needed to set the tone for the series.
Opposing Assad was Tyler Anderson, the Angels’ lefty who, despite a recent rough patch (6.49 ERA and 12 home runs allowed in his last seven starts), had previously dominated the Cubs back in July with eight shutout innings and 10 strikeouts. This time, though, the Cubs found a way to break through early. In the first inning, Kyle Tucker stepped to the plate and launched a solo home run off Anderson—a significant moment, as it marked Tucker’s first homer in more than a month, ending a 25-game drought that had stretched since July 19. According to the Associated Press, this was Tucker’s longest homerless streak since his rookie season in 2018. The blast set the tone and gave the Cubs a jolt of early momentum.
But the Angels weren’t about to roll over. Yoán Moncada, who’s been finding his groove with Los Angeles, responded in a big way. Moncada hit two home runs in the game, including a tying shot in the seventh inning. It was his first multi-homer performance with the Angels, providing the home crowd with plenty to cheer about. Moncada’s seventh-inning blast knotted the score at 2-2 and set the stage for a tense finish.
Meanwhile, the Cubs’ bullpen continued its strong run. Brad Keller came on in the eighth and delivered a perfect inning, keeping the game deadlocked and giving his offense a chance to strike. Drew Pomeranz, who’s been nearly untouchable since July 25 with a 0.00 ERA over his last 11 appearances, was ready in the wings but wasn’t needed on this night as the Cubs’ late-inning formula played out to perfection.
The pivotal moment arrived in the top of the ninth. Pete Crow-Armstrong, who’d been mired in a slump and was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts on the night, dug in against Angels closer Kenley Jansen. With one out, Crow-Armstrong got a 92 mph cutter over the heart of the plate and didn’t miss it—he sent it 396 feet into the right-field stands for his 28th home run of the season. The shot not only broke the tie but also snapped his own 25-game home run drought, providing the Cubs with a much-needed spark. As reported by the Associated Press, Crow-Armstrong’s homer was his first since July and couldn’t have come at a better time for Chicago.
“It felt great to finally get one out,” Crow-Armstrong said, according to Fox Sports highlights. “I was just trying to put a good swing on it and help the team. We’ve been fighting in these road games, and it’s nice to come through.”
After Crow-Armstrong’s heroics, Daniel Palencia took the ball in the bottom of the ninth to close things out. He was electric, striking out two of the three batters he faced and securing his 19th save of the season with a 1-2-3 inning. The Cubs’ bullpen, which has been a bright spot in recent weeks, came through yet again when it mattered most.
Tyler Anderson, for his part, pitched five solid innings for the Angels, allowing just three hits and two runs while striking out five and walking two. Despite the strong outing, Anderson’s winless streak now stands at 21 consecutive starts—an agonizing run for the veteran lefty and a tough pill for the Angels’ faithful to swallow.
Matt Shaw continued his post-All-Star break surge for the Cubs. Over his last 31 games, Shaw has posted a .302/.344/.721 slash line with five doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 18 RBIs, and 17 runs scored. His consistent production in the middle of the lineup has been a key factor in the Cubs’ ability to stay afloat during a challenging stretch of the season.
As the dust settled, the Cubs could finally celebrate snapping their road series opener skid. The win also came on a day of historical significance for the franchise—exactly 50 years after their dramatic 6-5 comeback victory over the Houston Astros on August 22, 1975. That game, remembered for a wild 11th inning and a José Cardenal squeeze bunt, provided a bit of extra nostalgia for long-time Cubs fans reflecting on the team’s resilience through the decades.
Looking ahead, the series continues with a rookie showdown on the mound: Angels right-hander Victor Mederos (0-1, 5.54 ERA) is set to face Cubs righty Cade Horton (7-4, 3.08 ERA) on Saturday. With both teams searching for momentum and the Cubs hoping to build on their breakthrough, the next chapter in this matchup promises plenty of intrigue.
For the Cubs, Friday night’s win wasn’t just another tally in the victory column—it was a statement. After weeks of frustration in road openers, they finally found a way to get over the hump, thanks to timely hitting, solid pitching, and a little bit of late-inning magic. If this performance is any indication, the rest of their road trip could be just as compelling.
