Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (7/1/25): Cubs 5, Guardians 2 – Boyd Baffles Cleveland in Win
The Cubs welcomed the Guardians to Wrigley Field on a warm Tuesday night to begin a three-game series. Chicago got a great pitching effort and a big night from their catcher to start the month of July off with a win.
The North Siders put together a rally against Gavin Williams in the bottom of the 2nd as Michael Busch had an RBI single and Carson Kelly hit a two-run double into the left-center gap. Further damage was avoided in the frame when Williams picked off a pair of Cubs runners, but the home team led 3-0.
Matthew Boyd got the start for Chicago and was excellent yet again. The left-hander had a little bit of trouble in the top of the 4th, allowing an RBI single to Nolan Jones and then a sacrifice fly by Angel Martinez cut Cleveland’s deficit to 3-2.
Seiya Suzuki gave the Cubs an insurance run with a solo home run off of Williams in the bottom of the 6th that made it 4-2. Boyd eventually went seven frames, only giving up the two 4th inning runs.
Kelly added a sacrifice fly RBI in the 8th to build the North Siders’ advantage to 5-2. Daniel Palencia was perfect in the 9th to close out the victory. (Box score)
Key Moment
José Ramirez represented the tying run in the top of the 8th inning and Brad Keller was able to retire him on a fly ball to preserve Chicago’s 4-2 lead.
Why the Cubs Won
They got a quality starting pitching effort and the bullpen was great.
Stats That Matter
- Boyd is having a tremendous season in 2025: 7 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 5 K, 1 BB.
- A huge game for Kelly with two doubles and three RBI.
- Busch was perfect with three hits and a walk on Tuesday.
Bottom Line
The Cubs really have found something with Boyd, and I think it’s fair to say he is their ace at this point. This was a nice start for Chicago after struggling a bit in Houston. Even the most cynical fans have to be impressed with getting to 50 wins on July 1. I don’t think anyone was expecting this much success before the season started.
On Deck
Game two of the series is Wednesday night at 7:05pm CT. It’s a big-time pitching matchup between Shōta Imanaga and Tanner Bibee that is televised exclusively on ESPN with the radio feed on 670 The Score.
