The Chicago Cubs came out swinging on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field, delivering a collective offensive performance that propelled them to a 6-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in the opener of a three-game set. With this win, the Cubs not only extended their winning streak to three games but also tightened their grip on the National League’s top Wild Card spot and crept within five games of the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers—pending Milwaukee’s result later that night.
Ian Happ was the undisputed star of the show, finishing a triple shy of the cycle. The left fielder went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, and a home run, knocking in two runs and scoring once. His bat has been blazing hot in September, and Friday’s effort only added fuel to the fire. After the game, Happ’s season stats stood at a .241 batting average with 21 home runs and 68 RBIs over 135 games—a remarkable turnaround after a sluggish first half. Since the start of August, he’s maintained a .900 OPS over 37 games, and his September slash line now reads .333/.435/.615, with two doubles, three homers, and a 7:10 BB:K ratio through 10 contests. That’s the kind of production Cubs fans have been waiting to see!
"We had baserunners. We had pressure," manager Craig Counsell said after the game. "We got some huge two-out hits today. Overall, it was a good offensive day." Counsell’s words rang true as the Cubs lineup showed depth and resilience from top to bottom.
The second inning proved pivotal for Chicago. Down early, the Cubs responded with a three-run rally. Happ delivered a tying single off Tampa Bay starter Shane Baz, and the offense didn’t stop there. In the third, Nico Hoerner walked and raced home on rookie Moisés Ballesteros’s first career triple, a rocket into the right-field corner. Ballesteros then scored when Matt Shaw grounded into a fielder’s choice, giving the Cubs a 5-3 lead and sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Hoerner has been quietly putting together an impressive September of his own. He reached base three times on Friday and scored twice, lifting his season average to .296. With a .375 average (15-for-40) this month, Hoerner is drawing comparisons to recent Cubs greats like Cody Bellinger and Ben Zobrist, the only other qualified Cubs hitters to bat at least .300 since 2012. Hoerner, however, downplayed the milestone, saying, "If you go into a year or a day really too focused on batting average, it can be a real trap. But, it’s a reflection of quality of at-bat, quality of contact. I think there are more valuable batting stats, but it is a part of how I get on base, too, which is important."
Ballesteros’s triple was a game-changer. The rookie showed poise beyond his years, delivering in a high-pressure moment. As Hoerner said, creating opportunities in a variety of ways is key for the Cubs, and Ballesteros’s clutch hit was a textbook example.
On the mound, veteran left-hander Matthew Boyd took the ball for Chicago. Boyd (13-8) was a bit shaky out of the gate, surrendering a single, a walk, and a three-run homer to Christopher Morel—who, in a twist of fate, was facing his former team for the first time since being traded to Tampa Bay in July 2024. But Boyd regrouped, holding the Rays to just one more run over his five-inning outing and picking up his first win since August 19. It wasn’t a dominant line—four runs allowed in five innings—but Boyd made the big pitches when it mattered.
One of Boyd’s most notable contributions came on the basepaths, not the mound. In the fourth inning, he picked off Everson Pereira at first base for the second out, marking his major league-best 11th pickoff of the season. That’s the most by any MLB pitcher since Clayton Kershaw racked up 11 in 2012. "They absolutely change innings. He’s done a great job with that and he’s disguised them very well throughout the course of the year to continue getting outs, even when the other team knows he’s very good at it," Counsell remarked.
The Cubs bullpen was nothing short of spectacular. After Boyd’s exit, Porter Hodge, Drew Pomeranz, Brad Keller, and Andrew Kittredge combined to retire 12 consecutive Rays batters, slamming the door on any hopes of a Tampa Bay comeback. Kittredge polished off the ninth for his fourth save in five chances. Over the last three games, Chicago’s relievers have limited opponents to a combined 1-for-34—an eye-popping stat that bodes well as the postseason approaches. "It’s all hands on deck," Kittredge said. "I think maybe senses are heightened a little bit, but I think everybody understands what their job is and is going to continue to do that."
For the Rays, it was another tough loss in what’s become a brutal stretch. This defeat marked their sixth in seven games, and their offense sputtered after Nick Fortes’s RBI single in the fourth inning—which turned out to be Tampa Bay’s last hit of the game. Morel’s three-run blast in the first gave the Rays an early spark, but the Cubs’ pitching and defense clamped down from there.
Friday’s contest also featured a bit of history and some intriguing storylines. Morel’s home run against his former club added a layer of drama, while Ballesteros’s first career triple and Boyd’s record-setting pickoff were moments to remember. And let’s not forget Ian Happ’s leadoff home run in the fourth off Edwin Uceta, which provided the Cubs with a crucial insurance run, making it 6-4. That shot was Happ’s 21st of the season and a fitting exclamation point on his stellar afternoon.
Looking ahead, the Cubs and Rays are set to square off again on Saturday, with Drew Rasmussen (10-5, 2.64 ERA) taking the mound for Tampa Bay and Colin Rea (10-6, 4.20 ERA) for Chicago. With the Cubs surging and the Rays searching for answers, the next matchup promises plenty of intrigue.
As the dust settled on a sun-soaked afternoon at Wrigley, the Cubs’ balanced attack, timely hitting, and lockdown bullpen once again showed why they’re a force to be reckoned with in the National League. With the postseason race heating up, every game counts—and if Friday was any indication, these Cubs are ready for the challenge.
