Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (7/21/25): Royals 12, Cubs 4 – Brown Blasted by KC

The Cubs and Royals opened up their three-game series on a lovely Monday night at Wrigley Field. Chicago went ahead early, but a meltdown in the middle innings completely flipped the scoreboard and led to a loss.

Ryan Brasier served as the opener Monday and then was replaced by the newly recalled Ben Brown in the 2nd inning. Brown quickly gave up a solo homer to Jac Caglianone that put Kansas City in front 1-0. The North Siders answered back in a big way in the bottom of the frame, scoring four times against starter Noah Cameron.

Carson Kelly began the inning with a solo home run, and Matt Shaw connected on a three-run shot to give the Cubs a 4-1 lead. Catcher Salvador Perez cut the deficit to 4-3 when he hit a two-run dinger off of Brown in the top of the 4th.

Chicago completely unraveled in the 5th, allowing four runs with a very sloppy performance by everyone involved. Jonathan India doubled and Bobby Witt Jr. beat out a perfectly placed infield single to even the score. The Royals went ahead after the catcher Kelly threw the ball into the outfield when Witt stole second base, bringing in the runner from third. Then a wild pitch from Brown brought home the star shortstop to make it 7-4.

The Cubs offense completely shut down after the four-run 2nd while Kansas City kept adding on. The road team would score five more times, including a second home run by Perez, and won 12-4. (Box score)

Key Moment

Absolutely nothing went right for Chicago in the 5th and they never recovered.

Why the Cubs Lost

Going with an opener has not been a successful strategy recently and they clearly need a more permanent solution.

Stats That Matter

• Not everything was Brown’s fault in this game, but he still made too many mistakes that got crushed: 4 IP, 7 R, 7 H, 4 K, 0 BB.
• Kelly had three hits and continues a very hot July.
• A rare multihit day for Justin Turner, who went 2-for-4 with a double.

Bottom Line

The Cubs need to add another starting pitcher at the trade deadline. It’s unclear when Jameson Taillon will be back, but an upgrade to the rotation would have been necessary even if he’d remained healthy. While anything is possible, including missing out on the arms race, I would be completely shocked if they don’t do something to address it.

On Deck

Game two of the series is Tuesday night at 7:05pm CT. Matthew Boyd takes on very old friend Rich Hill in a matchup broadcast on Marquee with a radio feed on 670 The Score.