Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (4/21/26): Cubs 7, Phillies 4 – Shōta Shines as Win Streak Hits 7

The Cubs prevailed again on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field to extend their winning streak to seven games. They used a familiar formula, with a very good starting pitching performance and plenty of offense, despite some frustration with runners on base early.

Shōta Imanaga continued to dominate, shutting down the Phillies through the first five innings. Chicago had ample traffic on the bases against hard-throwing lefty Jesus Lúzardo, but could not dent the scoreboard through four.

The North Siders finally went ahead when pinch-hitter Moisés Ballesteros drew a bases-loaded walk against Lúzardo in the bottom of the 5th. Philly answered right back in the top of the 6th when Kyle Schwarber took Imanaga deep for a solo homer that tied things up.

The struggling Michael Busch gave the Cubs the lead with a bloop two-run single off Tanner Banks in the bottom of the frame. The home squad added valuable insurance with a pair of dingers against Tim Mayza in the 7th. Nico Hoerner hit a solo shot, and Seiya Suzuki added a two-run jack for his first of the season to make the score 6-1.

The Phillies made things a bit more interesting when Bryce Harper hit a two-run homer against Riley Martin to cut the deficit to 6-3 in the top of the 8th. Both teams added an additional run, but Caleb Thielbar came on to close out a 7-4 Chicago victory. (Box score)

Key Moment

The two home runs in the 7th inning turned out to be the winning margin on Tuesday.

Why the Cubs Won

The starting pitching continues to pump out quality starts and the hitters kept adding on in the late innings.

Stats That Matter

• Imanaga continues to pitch like an ace so far in 2026: 7 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 K, and 1 BB.
• Hoerner’s power surge does not look like a fluke with four homers so far.
• Suzuki hit the ball hard twice, including a tape-measure dinger.
• Dansby Swanson drew three walks in this one.

Bottom Line

The Cubs continue to get quality work across the board from their starting rotation. That, combined with a grinding offense, has made this seven-game winning streak possible. Now it seems like some of the silent bats in the middle of the lineup are starting to wake up. The arrow is definitely pointing up for the North Siders right now.

On Deck

Chicago goes for a series win on Wednesday night at 6:40pm CT. Matthew Boyd makes his return to start against opener Kyle Backhus in a game airing on Marquee with a radio feed on The Score.