Hoerner Goes Yard Twice as Cubs Dismantle Dodgers 5-1
Nico Hoerner bookended Chicago's offensive night with an infield single that broke the game open and a 381-foot homer to left center that slammed it shut. The Cubs handed the Dodgers a 5-1 loss on August 5, turning a one-run deficit into a four-run cushion across the final three innings.
The Dodgers drew first blood in the second when Kyle Tucker sent one 376 feet to left center, staking Los Angeles to a 1-0 lead. Tarik Skubal looked like he might make it hold — he worked 6.0 innings, allowed just 4 hits and 2 earned runs, and struck out 6. That's a quality start on most nights. The problem is the Cubs didn't let it be most nights. Dansby Swanson answered Tucker's shot immediately in the third, going 401 feet to left center to tie it at 1. From that point on, the Dodgers never scored again.
The game's true turning point came in the sixth. Hoerner reached on an infield single to second, Bregman scored, and Busch moved to second — a sequence that swung Chicago's win probability from 59% to 74%, a 15-point jump on a single ground ball. That's the kind of play that looks unremarkable in a box score and decides a ballgame. Javier Assad had already done his job, going 5.2 innings and allowing just 1 earned run, and the Cubs' bullpen — Ryan Rolison with a clean inning and Ryan Zeferjahn with another — made sure nothing leaked through late.
The seventh inning piled on. Crow-Armstrong singled to right to score Swanson, making it 3-1, and then Suzuki singled to center to score Crow-Armstrong — suddenly it was 4-1 and the Dodgers were running out of outs. Hoerner finished the job himself in the eighth, going the other way with a 381-foot shot to left center for his second hit of the night and his second RBI. Final: 5-1, Cubs. The story of the night, it appears, was Chicago's lineup depth — five different players drove in runs, and Swanson (3-for-4, 2 runs scored) and Hoerner (2-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI) were relentless at the top of the order. Skubal looks like he pitched well enough to win most games. Tonight just wasn't one of them.