Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (3/1/26): White Sox 5, Cubs 1 – Sox Hit 4 Homers in Win

The Cubs welcomed the White Sox to Sloan Park on Sunday afternoon to begin the month of March. The visitors put on a power display with four solo homers and went on to win in a game that lacked much drama.

Shōta Imanaga got the start and was greeted almost immediately in the top of the 1st by a home run off the bat of Edgar Quero. Alex Bregman evened the score for the North Siders when he took left-hander Anthony Kay deep in the bottom of the frame.

Imanaga would surrender two more dingers: One to Braden Montgomery in the 2nd inning and the other to Austin Hays in the 3rd. The White Sox added a fourth homer later in that frame when Lenyn Sosa did the trick against Zane Mills, and they were ahead 4-1.

The Cubs could not cut into the deficit and went down to a 5-1 defeat. (Box score)

Key Moment

The early power barrage put the home team into a hole they could not get out of.

Why the Cubs Lost

The home runs hurt, but they also stranded nine runners on the bases by going 0-for-7 with RISP.

Stats That Matter

• Bregman also had a double and a single and now heads off to the World Baseball Classic.
• Pete Crow-Armstrong is also on his way to the WBC and picked up his first two hits of the spring.
• Moisés Ballesteros finally made his first appearance after visa issues kept him away from camp.

Bottom Line

The home run ball became a major issue for Imanaga when things went sideways for him at the end of 2025. If results like Sunday continue into the regular season, it may be hard for him to keep his position in a suddenly crowded rotation. Bregman should be a major weapon in the heart of the lineup.

On Deck

Jameson Taillon takes the mound when the Cubs head to Goodyear for a matchup against the Reds on Monday. The game starts at 2:10pm CT and is being broadcast on Marquee.