KANSAS CITY, Mo.— Fueled by strong debuts from newly acquired starting pitchers and a 18-hit offensive explosion in Sunday’s rubber match, the Chicago Cubs claimed two out of three games against the Kansas City Royals over the weekend at Kauffman Stadium.
The interleague set showcased Chicago’s fresh rotation additions following recent trade deadline moves, while Kansas City’s young corps showed flashes of power despite dropping the series.
Game 1 (Friday, Aug. 7): Gausman Directs Cubs to 6-4 Win
Kevin Gausman made his Chicago debut a memorable one after being acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays last weekend. Avoided having to face his former team in a Thursday makeup game, the two-time All-Star tossed seven strong innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out four to lead the Cubs to a 6-4 victory.
Gausman shook off a line drive off his ankle from Salvador Perez in the opening inning and went on to retire 12 of 13 batters during a dominant middle-inning stretch.
“It was just nice to get out there and focus on trying to get outs,” Gausman said postgame.
Chicago jumped out early with a four-run second inning, highlighted by two-out RBI singles from Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong. Despite an eighth-inning rally by Kansas City off reliever Caleb Thielbar, Trent Thornton escaped the jam before Jacob Webb pitched a clean ninth to notch his seventh save.
Game 2 (Saturday, Aug. 8): Caglianone’s Monster Night Spoils Holmes’ Debut in 6-3 Royals Victory
Kansas City bounced back Saturday night by ruining the Chicago debut of right-hander Clay Holmes.Holmes, acquired from the New York Mets while completing a rehab assignment for a fractured right fibula suffered in May, struggled in his first big league action in nearly three months.He lasted just four innings, surrendering four runs on six hits and two walks.
The night belonged to Royals rookie Jac Caglianone.Caglianone launched two home runs—including a 448-foot shot in the first inning—and added two doubles to finish 4-for-4 with four RBIs.
Seth Lugo (5-7) kept the Cubs’ bats largely at bay, utilizing an eight-pitch mix to throw six innings of three-run ball.After Chicago trimmed Kansas City’s lead to 4-3 via an Ian Happ two-run homer in the sixth, John Schreiber struck out Suzuki in the seventh with two runners on to extinguish the threat.Caglianone provided insurance with his second blast in the bottom half, and Nate Pearson closed out the ninth to earn his second save against his former club.
Game 3 (Sunday, Aug. 9): Bats Explode, Boyd Dominates as Cubs Blow Out Royals 10-2
The Cubs left no doubt in Sunday’s rubber match, pounding out 18 hits to shell-shock the Royals in a 10-2 victory.
Matthew Boyd (8-1) turned in another masterclass on the mound, holding Kansas City to two runs on five hits across seven efficient innings to claim his eighth consecutive winning decision.
Chicago took command early through run-producing singles from Michael Conforto, Nico Hoerner, and Alex Bregman.Bregman, Michael Busch, and Ian Happ paced the 18-hit barrage with three hits apiece.
Starling Marte briefly brought Kansas City within two with a two-run homer off Boyd in the fourth, but the Cubs blew the game open late. Happ launched a two-run blast—his 20th home run of the season—in the sixth, and Miguel Amaya capped the scoring with a three-run shot in the seventh off reliever Easton McGee. Royals starter Randy Dobnak (2-1) took his first loss of the season, yielding four runs on 10 hits over five innings.
