Mike Tauchman Walks It Off, Cubs Beat Cardinals 5-4

With their backs against the wall, the Chicago Cubs rallied for a dramatic 5-4 victory over the division rival St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. Mike Tauchman played spoiler with a walk-off double against Cardinals' closer Ryan Helsley in the ninth inning.

While Thursday's heroic comeback was exhilarating, it doesn't mean the Cubs' fortunes are turning around. Unfortunately, it's an outlier in a disappointing 2024 season. But for one night, it was enjoyable to see a walk-off win against a rival.

At this point, the Cubs are pretty much going through the motions until the season is over. Postseason baseball isn't in their future; now is the time to evaluate the roster for 2025 and beyond.

Tale of the Tape

Thursday's pitching matchup was a good one, pitting Shota Imanaga against Sonny Gray. Imanaga wasn't his usual self but the North Siders' offense came to the rescue.

It became a back-and-forth battle between the two offenses. The Cardinals went ahead in the first inning thanks to Paul Goldschmidt's solo home run. Dansby Swanson brought the Cubs even with a second-inning RBI single.

In the sixth inning, Seiya Suzuki hit a moonshot into the Wrigley Field bleachers to give the Cubs a 2-1 lead. The right fielder is heating up at the plate — it'd be nice to see the rest of the Cubs bats follow suit.

The Cardinals responded with a barrage of offense the next inning. Imanaga's day went south in a hurry as he allowed three runs in the seventh and exited the game. Masyn Winn's two-run homer and Nolan Arenado's RBI single gave St. Louis a 4-2 lead.

Cardinals' All-Star closer Ryan Helsley took the mound in the ninth, which typically means game over. But the Cubs fought to the very end, starting with a Cody Bellinger solo homer. With the Cubs down to their final out, Nico Hoerner reached on a single and stole second base. Dansby Swanson provided another productive bat with an RBI double to tie the game at four.

Mike Tauchman then pinch-hit for Pete Crow-Armstrong and delivered a highlight-reel moment. Coming off the bench is tough in such situations, but for the "Pride of Palatine," it's just another day at the office.

Takeaways

Thursday marked one of the Cubs' best wins this season. It's hard to top a walk-off against a division rival.

Still, the Cubs lack consistency. They show flashes of competence mixed with underperformance — a frustrating scenario.

It's foolish to say the Cubs are on the come-up just because of an emotionally charged win. They've previously produced spurts of impressive play — such as sweeping the Baltimore Orioles before the All-Star break — only to fall back down to Earth. At this point, the organization's focus should be on improvement entering 2025.

One problematic area that must be addressed is the team's tendency to falter late in games. The Cubs have left far too many wins on the table in 2024, something they must overcome to have success next season.

What's On Tap Next?

The Cubs and Cardinals continue their four-game weekend series on Friday. Javier Assad will toe the rubber for the Cubs while the newly acquired Erick Fedde goes for the Cardinals. First pitch is at 1:20 PM CT and the game will air on Marquee Sports Network.

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