Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (8/9/25): Cubs 9, Cardinals 1 – Offense Crushes Cards
The Cubs and Cardinals met in the second game of their series on another very hot night at Busch Stadium. Saturday was a much different story than Friday, with Chicago dominating from the opening inning and winning easily.
The North Siders put immediate pressure on St. Louis starter Andre Pallante in the top of the 1st with an RBI single by Kyle Tucker. They scored another run on an error by Willson Contreras following a single by Carson Kelly. Michael Busch broke the game open with a three-run homer in the 2nd and Kelly added one more run with a single that knocked the Cardinals pitcher out of the game and gave the road team a 6-0 lead.
That was more than enough for Cubs starter Colin Rea, who went six innings with one run allowed. Matt Shaw hit an RBI triple in the 3rd and Ian Happ singled in another in the 4th to build the margin up to 8-0
Shaw blasted a long solo homer in the 5th that increased Chicago’s cushion to 9-0. St. Louis avoided the shutout m, but that was all they could do as they went down to a 9-1 defeat. (Box score)
Key Moment
The offense struck early and often after a poor performance the night before to make things much easier.
Why the Cubs Won
They took a big early lead and never looked back, making it a very easy proposition for the pitching staff.
Stats That Matter
- Rea did exactly what you want a pitcher to do with a big lead: 6 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 6 K, 2 BB.
- Kelly had a three-hit game.
- Shaw has been a completely different hitter in the second half and keeps showing power.
- Dansby Swanson had three hits and is starting to heat up.
Bottom Line
This was the Cubs offense from the first half of the season, with everyone in the lineup contributing and wearing down the opposing starting pitcher. If this unit gets going again the wins will start coming back in bunches. The question is whether this was just a blip.
On Deck
The weather match of the series is Sunday night at 6:10pm CT. Shōta Imanaga is on the mound against Sonny Gray in a matchup available exclusively on ESPN with a radio feed on 670 The Score.
