Michael Busch tallied four RBIs to lead the Chicago Cubs to an 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday at Wrigley Field. The win completed a sweep and extended the Cubs' home winning streak to 11 games. Players credited the ballpark's unpredictable winds for aiding their success.
The Cubs embraced Wrigley Field's chaotic conditions during Sunday's windy afternoon, turning the elements into an advantage en route to an 8-4 win over the D-backs. Wind howled out, rattling flags and affecting fly balls, as Chicago improved to 14-5 at home this season. The team ranks fourth in MLB home ERA (2.98), runs scored (101), and fifth in OPS (.796). This marked their longest home winning streak since a 14-game run in 2008. Cubs manager Craig Counsell emphasized dominating the venue, saying, “You look at the score today and it looks like it doesn’t matter, but everything matters. It’s another example of this ballpark. This was going to be a tough day.”Michael Busch sparked the offense with a fluky second-inning double on a pitch projected as a 3% hit probability, setting up a run-scoring single by Carson Kelly. In the third, rookie Moisés Ballesteros hit a two-run homer into the jetstream for the lead. Busch added a three-run triple in the fifth, totaling four RBIs. Second baseman Nico Hoerner noted, “There are strange plays at Wrigley, for sure. But over the course of a year, I do feel like it plays to our advantage.”Defensively, Hoerner made a heads-up play in the sixth, deking Corbin Carroll off second base before doubling him up on a liner. Pitcher Matthew Boyd praised it, saying, “The play was right in front of Nico. He deked Corbin into hanging out at the base a tick longer. It’s a heads-up play.” Boyd added, “This is the best place to play in the big leagues.” The D-backs escaped the wind-aided chaos, but the Cubs continue to own their home turf.
