Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (3/30/22): Cubs 8, Mariners 5 – Suzuki Hits First Homer in Win
The Cubs welcomed the Mariners to Sloan Park on Wednesday afternoon and kept the win streak going. Chicago’s big off-season signing, Seiya Suzuki, finally came through with his first hit of the spring and the home team was able to pull out a victory.
Drew Smyly got the start for the Cubs and piled up strikeouts while allowing a pair of runs and Frank Schwindel had a sun-aided double to key a two-run rally in the 3rd inning. Suzuki broke an 0-for-8 slump with a two-run bomb in the bottom of the 4th.
The Cubs scored a total of four runs in that inning and extended the lead with two in the 6th, including a solo homer from Clint Frazier. Seattle tacked on a couple runs late but Chicago took home an 8-5 win. (Box score)
Why the Cubs Won
They were able to jump on Mariners starter Marco Gonzales the second time through the order. That is something they need to do during the regular season when they see opposing starters more than once.
Key Moment
Suzuki’s home run was the kind of sky-scraping fly ball he’s known for. It seemed like it was never going to come down before finally landing on the berm.
Stats That Matter
- Smyly was experimenting with a changeup that looked pretty good, but he did give up a couple hard-hit balls: 2.2 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 4 K, and 1 BB.
- Nick Madrigal had a pair of hits and drove in a run out of the leadoff spot.
- Nico Hoerner also had two hits.
- Jesse Chavez had four strikeouts in two perfect innings of work.
Bottom Line
Several players the Cubs hope will be big contributors in 2022 had big games on Wednesday. It’s just a week away from the games that count, so this is a good sign.
On Deck
Chicago is off Thursday before split-squad action on Friday against the Diamondbacks and the Brewers, with both games starting at 3:05pm CT.
