Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (2/25/23): Cubs 10, Giants 8 – Cubs Win Spring Opener on Bote Bomb

After a long winter, Cubs baseball is finally back with the Cactus League getting underway Saturday afternoon. Chicago welcomed the San Francisco Giants to Sloan Park to kick off the spring slate. Marcus Stroman got the start and allowed a run in two innings of work before Adrian Sampson took over and got touched up for three home runs as the Giants jumped out to a 5-2 lead.

Walks to Pete Crow-Armstrong and Matt Mervis to open the 5th innings sparked a seven-run Cubs rally that effectively put the game away. The big blow came on a three-run home run from David Bote, who is looking to regain his spot on the 40-man roster.

The Giants tacked on a couple late runs but the Cubs took home the 10-8 victory. (Box score)

Why the Cubs Won

The young Giants showed a little spring rust with six errors and Cubs came through with a big home run with men on base.

Stats That Matter 

  • Nico Hoerner had a pair of hits as he picked up right where he left off in 2022.
  • Mervis hit the ball hard twice with one of them going for a hit in addition to his walk.
  • Stroman escaped a 1st inning jam with a nice double play started by Hoerner and featuring a nice turn by Dansby Swanson.

Bottom Line

It’s nice to have baseball back. Saturday’s game did not seem that much faster with a pitch clock, but that is to be expected with 18 runs on 25 hits.

On Deck

The Cubs head to Camelback Ranch Sunday at 2:05pm CT to take on the Dodgers. Justin Steele gets the start in a game available on Marquee Sports Network.

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