Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (6/22/24): Cubs 8, Mets 1 – High Five in First Leads to Victory

The Cubs finally got off to a fast start against the Mets on Saturday afternoon, scoring five runs in the opening inning. That turned out to be more than enough as Chicago got an outstanding pitching performance and cruised to a rare comfortable victory.

New York starter Tylor Megill issued a pair of walks with one out in the bottom of the 1st inning to set the stage for an RBI single by Seiya Suzuki. Ian Happ brought home a run on a groundout to second and Christopher Morel knocked in another with a hit back up the middle to put the home team ahead 3-0.

The Cubs weren’t done padding their lead with Dansby Swanson doubling and Pete Crow-Armstrong hitting a triple into the right field corner to grow the advantage to 5-0. That was plenty for Jameson Taillon, who was very sharp Saturday and allowed only a solo home run to catcher Francisco Alvarez in the 5th inning.

Morel plastered a long home run against Megill in the 4th to make it 6-0. An RBI double by new addition Tomás Nido and a throwing error by Pete Alonso at first base increased the North Siders’ margin to 8-1 in the 6th. Taillon eventually put up seven impressive frames and Chicago won by that same 8-1 score. (Box score)

446ft shot to the bleachers for Memo ☄ pic.twitter.com/cwbxvMZ7Wn

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 22, 2024

Key Moment

Suzuki stole second base with one out in the bottom of the 1st inning to put runners on second and third. Happ hit what would have been a tailor-made double play ball to second base if not for the steal, which allowed the run at third to score and three more to come home in the frame after that.

Why the Cubs Won

The offense took advantage of an early scoring opportunity and the starting pitcher was significantly better than on Friday.

Stats That Matter

• Taillon has been excellent in his last three starts and was finally rewarded with a win on Saturday: 7 IP, 1 R, 6 H, 10 K, and 0 BB.
• It was nice to see PCA drive the ball and use his speed to score from first on Nido’s double.
• Morel dropped down in the batting order but might move right back up if he produces like he did in this one.
• Suzuki has been much better at the plate lately with a double in addition to his RBI single.

Bottom Line

That game was the complete opposite of Friday with the Cubs jumping out ahead early. Chicago has not won by this large a margin since they were in Atlanta on May 15. They are going to need a few more games like this if they want to get back in the race. It would also be nice if they could take a second consecutive series.

On Deck

The Cubs try to accomplish that series win Sunday night at 6:10pm CT. Javier Assad faces off against lefty David Peterson in a contest televised exclusively on ESPN with a radio broadcast on 670 The Score.