Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (7/7/26): Cubs 5, Orioles 2 – Boyd Baffles Birds
The Cubs opened their series against the Orioles on a positive note with a victory Tuesday night. They got a terrific performance from opening-day starter Matthew Boyd, who had his best effort of the season.
The game was delayed by 56 minutes due to the threat of thunderstorms, even though no actual rain fell at Camden Yards. When the action got underway, Chicago took the lead against Baltimore starter Shane Baz with an RBI single from Alex Bregman in the top of the 3rd.
The North Siders added two more on a run-scoring single by Pete Crow-Armstrong and an RBI groundout by Bregman in the top of the 5th. Boyd eventually went six shutout frames and came out with a 3-0 advantage.
Michael Busch hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the 7th inning to increase the Cubs’ edge to 4-0. The Orioles had their best chance in the bottom of the frame when they loaded the bases against Ryan Rolison with two outs. Jacob Webb relieved him and gave up a two-run single to Adley Rutschman that cut the deficit to 4-2.
Chicago got an important insurance run on an RBI single by Dansby Swanson in the top of the 8th. The bullpen took care of business after that, with Trent Thornton picking up the save in the 5-2 win. (Box score)
Key Moment
Webb struck out Gunnar Henderson with runners on second and third to end the 7th inning with the Cubs still in front 4-2.
Why the Cubs Won
They got a quality start and brought home runners in scoring position.
Stats That Matter
- Boyd was very sharp and gave his team some length: 6 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 7 K, and 2 BB.
- Miguel Amaya singled, doubled, and drew a walk, scoring each time.
- Bregman had a double and a single with two RBI.
Bottom Line
It was good to see the Cubs get the road trip off to a successful start. They are going to need this version of Boyd if they want to make the playoffs this season. It helps that he hasn’t thrown many innings in 2026, so at least fatigue should not factor like it did last season.
On Deck
Game two of the series is Wednesday night at 5:35pm CT. Colin Rea takes the hill against Dean Kremer in a matchup airing on Marquee with a radio feed on The Score.
