Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (6/26/25): Cubs 3, Cardinals 0 – Shōta Sharp in Return Shutting Out St. Louis

The Cubs and Cardinals wrapped up their series at a hot and sunny Busch Stadium Thursday afternoon. Chicago got their ace back and earned a second consecutive shutout to victory to split the four-game set.

Michael Busch got the North Siders on the scoreboard with a line-drive solo home run off of Andre Pallante in the 2nd. The Cards starter then issued a bases loaded walk to Ian Happ to give the road team a 2-0 lead in the 4th.

Shōta Imanaga returned to the Cubs’ rotation after missing nearly two months and did not miss a beat. The left-hander allowed only a single and a walk in five scoreless frames before hitting his pitch count.

Pete Crow-Armstrong scored from third base when Dansby Swanson was caught stealing second in the 8th inning to increase Chicago’s advantage to 3-0. St. Louis got the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the 9th but Daniel Palencia was able to slam the door and complete the whitewashing. (Box score)

Key Moment

A double and a hit by pitch put the first two runners on for the Cardinals in the bottom of the 9th. Palencia then struck out the next three batters to preserve the win.

Why the Cubs Won

After a series of shaky starts the pitching has gotten much better the last two games and it’s impossible to lose when you pitch a shutout.

Stats That Matter

• Imanaga easily could have gone a couple more innings if he wasn’t making his first start off the injured list: 5 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 3 K, 1 BB.
• Two more hits for Busch, who is playing very good baseball right now.
• Carson Kelly had a pair of shingles and is starting to heat back up.

Bottom Line

The series did not start out great for the Cubs, but it definitely finished well. Splitting the series is perfectly acceptable when you are the team ahead in the standings. Much more important for Chicago is that their best pitcher appears fully healthy and ready to contribute. That should make a tremendous difference as they enter the second half of the season on Friday.

On Deck

Next up is a trip to Houston for a series with the Astros starting Friday at 7:10pm CT. Cade Horton takes the mound against Brandon Walter in a contest broadcast on Marquee with the radio feed on 670 The Score.