Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (2/26/24): Royals 6, Cubs 0 – Cubs Blanked in Surprise

The Cubs struggled to hit for a second consecutive spring game Monday as the Royals jumped out to an early lead in Surprise and never looked back, winning easily.

Hayden Wesneski’s struggles from late in 2023 carried over to his first spring start and he gave up a three-run homer in the opening inning. The young right-hander came out in that inning when he hit his pitch count before returning in the 2nd inning and surrendering another tally before his afternoon ended for good.

Cubs hitters got more traffic on the bases than they did in Sunday’s game, but the result was the same in another shutout. Kansas City cruised to an easy 6-0 victory that no one outside the ballpark saw because it wasn’t broadcast on TV. (Box score)

Why the Cubs Lost

Basically a carbon copy of Sunday’s game in which they fell behind early and couldn’t score any runs.

Stats That Matter

• Michael Busch had a single and a walk in his first game in a Cubs uniform.
• Seiya Suzuki had a base hit in his 2024 spring debut.
• Nick Madrigal had a double Monday for Chicago’s only extra-base hit.

Bottom Line

Wesneski gave up his home run to a left-handed hitter, something that has been a big problem for him at the MLB level. He is going to have to change that if he wants to stick around in 2024. The Cubs are really hoping Busch will have a big impact on the team this year so keep an eye on him this spring.

On Deck

The Cubs welcome the Reds to Sloan Park on Tuesday at 2:05pm CT. Class will be in session with Kyle Hendricks on the mound in a game you can watch on Marquee.