Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (4/1/26): Cubs 6, Angels 2 – Boyd Fools Angels

The Cubs were attempting to win their first series of 2026 against the Angels at a cold and overcast Wrigley Field Wednesday afternoon. A great starting pitching effort and one big inning turned out to be more than enough to accomplish that task.

Chicago got things going with a five-run outburst in the bottom of the 3rd against lefty starter Yusei Kikuchi, beginning with an RBI double by Nico Hoerner. Alex Bregman singled home Hoerner and then Dansby Swanson hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded. Matt Shaw and Pete Crow-Armstrong ended the big frame with back-to-back run-scoring singles to give the home team a 5-0 advantage.

Matthew Boyd was completely locked in from the start of the game for the North Siders, piling up strikeouts through the first five innings. He ran out of gas in the 6th, exiting with runners on first and second with two out. Hunter Harvey came on in relief and gave up an RBI single to Jo Adell that was followed by an error by Bregman at third that cut the deficit to 5-2.

That would be as close as the Angels would get, with Shaw adding a second RBI single to increase the Cubs’ advantage to 6-2 in the 7th. Caleb Thielbar and Daniel Palencia handled the final two innings without issue to close out the victory. (Box score)

Key Moment

Miguel Amaya drew a leadoff walk to begin the big bottom of the 3rd inning and it came back to haunt the Angels.

Why the Cubs Won

Unlike Tuesday night, they were able to provide some offense to support a quality pitching effort.

Stats That Matter

• A much better outing for Boyd than his first start on opening day: 5.2 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 10 K, and 2 BB.
• Hoerner had three hits, two of which were doubles.
• Michael Busch got on base three times against a left-handed pitcher.

Bottom Line

The Cubs recovered nicely from an opening series loss to get back to even before heading out on the first road trip of the season. Having this version of Boyd more often than not will make this a very dangerous team. Hoerner continues to demonstrate why he is such a good long-term investment.

On Deck

After an off day Thursday, the Cubs head to Cleveland for the Guardians’ home opener on Friday at 3:10pm CT. Cade Horton faces off against Joey Cantillo in a game available on Marquee with a radio feed on The Score.