Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (7/3/25): Cubs 1, Guardians 0 F/10 – Horton Shines as Cubs Complete Sweep in Extras
The Cubs and Guardians met at Wrigley Field in the finale of their series on Thursday night. It turned out to be a classic pitcher’s duel that went to extras before Chicago walked it off with the only run of the night.
Cade Horton was tremendous on Thursday, throwing seven scoreless frames and giving up just five singles. The North Siders could do nothing against spot starter Joey Cantillo and a series of relievers to keep the game tied through the 9th inning.
The game remained deadlocked into extra innings, but the Cubs got a runner to third with one out against Emmanuel Clase in the bottom of the 10th. Matt Shaw came up to bat and hit a ball very deep to right-center that was more than enough for a sacrifice fly and a 1-0 walk-off to complete the three-game sweep. (Box score)
Key Moment
Michael Busch hit a ground ball to shortstop in the bottom of the 10th that allowed Nico Hoerner to move to third base with one out and come home on the Shaw sac fly.
Why the Cubs Won
Starting with a great outing by Horton, the pitching staff didn’t allow a run.
Stats That Matter
- Horton was the exact opposite of his performance in Houston: 7 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 5 K, 2 BB.
- Dansby Swanson had two of the three Cubs hits Thursday.
- Shaw hit the ball very hard in two earlier plate appearances, but had nothing to show for it before the winning RBI.
Bottom Line
Chicago has had issues with one-run games, but that has not been the case in 2025 with a 14-8 record in those matchups. It goes without saying that it would be a huge boost to the Cubs if Horton continues to pitch like he did Thursday. The sweep puts Craig Counsell‘s team back ahead by four games in the division heading into a key series with the Cardinals.
On Deck
The three-game set with St. Louis at Wrigley Field begins on the Fourth of July at 1:20pm CT. Colin Rea takes on Miles Mikolas in a contest broadcast exclusively on Apple TV+ with a radio feed on 670 The Score.