Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (9/16/26): Cubs 8, Braves 4 – Another Signature Performance for MVPete
The Cubs won the deciding game of their series against the Braves at Wrigley Field Wednesday night. The headliner was Pete Crow-Armstrong, who had another massive performance that might have sealed the MVP for him.
Chicago got the scoring going against JR Ritchie with an RBI double by Alex Bregman in the bottom of the 1st. PCA hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 3rd and Bregman did the same in the 4th to make it 3-0.
Shōta Imanaga did a good job for a third consecutive outing, giving up nothing to Atlanta hitters for the first five frames. Crow-Armstrong got things going again for the North Siders with an RBI triple in the 5th, and Bregman brought home two more with his own triple three batters later to build a 6-0 lead.
The Braves scored a pair of runs on groundouts to pull within 6-2 in the top of the 7th. PCA was not done, hitting a second home run in the bottom of the frame. Michael Conforto put the Cubs ahead 8-2 with an RBI single in the 8th.
Chicago gave up a couple of tallies in the top of the 9th, but Ryan Zeferjahn eventually closed out the 8-4 victory. (Box score)
Key Moment
The three-run 5th inning provided the Cubs an extra cushion to protect the bullpen later in the game.
Why the Cubs Won
The big bats at the top of the lineup came through repeatedly and they got a quality starting pitching performance.
Stats That Matter
- Imanaga is back in a groove: 6 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 8 K, and 0 BB.
- Crow-Armstrong is up to 44 homers and had 10 total bases.
- Bregman has justified his contract in the last two months. He had four RBI and was a single shy of the cycle.
Bottom Line
If there was ever any doubt PCA was the MVP, it was completely erased on Wednesday night. He probably didn’t need another signature moment, but he sure got it as the Cubs got an impressive series win against a very good team.
On Deck
After getting Thursday off, the Cubs travel to Cincinnati for three with the Reds starting Friday at 5:40pm CT. Television coverage is available on Marquee with radio on The Score.
