Cubs Roll Into Dodger Stadium With 9 Straight Wins and a Defense That's Suffocating Everyone

The Chicago Cubs are bringing some serious heat to Dodger Stadium on Friday night. A nine-game winning streak. The longest in baseball right now. And they just beat the Phillies 8-7 in 10 innings on Thursday with a walk-off single from shortstop Dansby Swanson, who watched Philadelphia lose their ninth straight game in the process.

This is not a team getting hot because everyone else is playing bad, either. Cubs manager Craig Counsell is aware of the narrative, but he wants it clear: Chicago has been the ones making life miserable. "A nine-game winning streak is unusual," Counsell said. "You could say we've done it against teams that are struggling. But hopefully we are part of that. That's what I would like to say, that we have made it tough on them."

Playing Hurt, Winning Anyway

Here's the thing that makes this run actually wild. The Cubs are dealing with injuries that would tank most teams. Starting pitcher Cade Horton and reliever Porter Hodge are both done for the season with UCL injuries. Closer Daniel Palencia is out with a left oblique strain. Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, and Ethan Roberts are all on the injured list too. Then Thursday night, left-hander Caleb Thielbar had to exit in the ninth with left hamstring tightness.

Yet somehow, the Cubs are still tied with Cincinnati for the National League Central lead. How? Defense. FanGraphs says Chicago leads all of baseball in defensive runs saved with 12. That's the difference between a lucky streak and a real one.

Bats Are Actually Carrying the Load

The offense is no joke either. Michael Busch launched a three-run homer on Thursday. Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki each crushed solo shots. The Cubs put 18 hits on the board in that win alone. Nico Hoerner is hitting .304 with 22 RBIs, 31 hits, and seven doubles. Chicago is tied for fifth in the majors with 32 home runs already.

"You have to hit home runs in this game to be a good offensive team," Counsell said. "That's for sure. I think we have been a well-rounded offensive group so far."

Jameson Taillon (1-1, 3.97 ERA) takes the mound Friday for Chicago. He's 0-1 lifetime against the Dodgers with a 5.68 ERA, but his recent stuff has been sharp. The Dodgers counter with Emmet Sheehan (2-0, 5.85 ERA), who hasn't faced Chicago before. Sheehan's been trending the right way, though. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sees improvement: "The last three outings, each of them Emmet has gotten better. A lot better quality of pitch making. The stuff. That's something for us to build on."

First pitch Friday night. This is the kind of early-season matchup that actually matters.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.