Game Recap: Cubs hand Dodgers their worst loss in franchise history

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - Sunday, April 13 2025

LOS ANGELES—It took four games, but the Chicago Cubs (10-7) finally solved the Los Angeles Dodgers (11-5) and figured out a way to beat them. The win came at Dodgers Stadium, bringing with it tons of history as the Cubs sent a message to the Dodgers and the National League.

Despite another great start from Roki Sasaki, who allowed just one run in five innings, the Dodgers bullpen imploded 15 times as the Cubs over the game's final four innings, paving the way for their 16-0 victory. It was the Dodgers' worst home shutout loss in franchise history, and it will be interesting to see how they respond on Sunday.

Coming off their shut-out loss against Los Angeles on Friday and knowing what was to come in Sasaki, the Cubs knew they were going to have their work cut out and did their best to get him out of the game as quickly as possible. They did that by forcing him out after five innings, as he allowed one run on four hits with three punchouts.

That run came in the second inning when Michael Busch touched him up for his second homer of the season to open up a 1-0 Cubs lead. It would be the game's only run until later, but it was also the beginning of a four-hit night for Busch as he set the tone for the Cubs offense. As good as Sasaki was, Ben Brown was even better as he was looking to bounce back from a tough outing against the Padres.

Like Matthew Boyd on Friday, Brown handcuffed the Dodgers through six innings, allowing five hits and striking out five while getting through those innings without allowing a run.

“This past week was a grind,” Brown said. “What we emphasized is, when my stuff is there, we can get through lineups like that. It definitely is a confidence boost. Honestly for me, just filling up the zone is the biggest confidence boost I need, because I know when I can do that, I can do a lot of really awesome things on the ballfield.”

The game's best scoring chance off Brown came in the first when Shohei Otani and Teoscar Hernandez collected a pair of singles only to have Brown escape.

The Cubs also had multiple opportunities to add to their lead in the early innings, loading the bases in the third and putting two more runners on base in the fifth, but couldn't come away with the clutch hit. Holding their 1-0 lead entering the sixth, no one expected to see what was coming as the Cubs offense exploded for 15 runs against what is typically a very good Dodgers pen.

That all started with Ben Casparius in the sixth as former Dodger Justin Turner cashed in with an RBI sign to double the Cubs lead 2-0. That was the beginning of the end for Los Angeles, with Brown tossing his sixth and final scoreless inning and doing his part on the mound. All it took for the Cubs offense to awaken was a Carson Kelly homer to lead off the seventh as the Cubs extended their lead to 3-0.

That was the beginning of a five-run seventh inning as that homer was followed by an Ian Happ walk and a pair of singles from Kyle Tucker and Miguel Amaya with Amaya pushing the lead to 4-0. Singles continued to do the job for the Cubs, with Busch and Dansby Swanson adding to the fun as their singles brought home two more runs and stretched the Cubs lead to 6-0 before a Nico Hoerner sacrifice fly had the Cubs in front 7-0.

With Julian Merryweather, the first of three Cubs relievers, doing his job, the Cubs offense continued to make the Dodgers pay as they added to an already big lead in the eighth. Two batters in, and the Cubs were already threatening as Kelly led off the inning with a walk before advancing to third on the Happ double.

Tucker kept the line moving with another RBI single to push the lead to 9-0, while the Amaya big fly closed out a four-run inning with the Cubs now in front 11-0. The long ball continued to play a role for the Cubs in the ninth as Kelly connected for his second homer of the game and fourth of the season to push the Cubs lead to 13-0.

Given the lack of production from the catcher position a season ago, seeing both catchers not only homer in the same game but produce at the level they have this season has to be refreshing, and the Cubs hope it's the beginning of what is to come the rest of the way. Already with two runs home in the ninth, the Cubs offense refused to let up. A Jon Berti single was followed by a hit-by-pitch to Amaya as the Cubs kept the pressure on.

Already with three hits to his name, Busch closed out what was one of his better games as a pro with another RBI double to bring home another run.

“It’s always fun coming back here,” Busch said. “Some good memories, good people over there. Always fun playing against them. Whenever you can put together a good night, it’s always fun.”

Still, the best moment of the game came from Gage Workman, who not only collected his first two hits as a pro, but picked up his first career RBI as his double in the ninth closed out the Cubs second five-run inning of the game and capped off what was a dominating performance.

Anytime you score 16 runs, you know you're getting production from the entire lineup, and with 21 hits, you saw that. Busch led the way with his four hits and three RBIs, but he wasn't alone, as Happ and Kelly also had three hits. Tucker and Amaya made it five players with multiple hits, and Seiya Suzuki was the lone starter without a hit. The Cubs will look for the series win on Sunday night baseball as they will send Colin Rea to the mound in place of Justin Steele against Tyler Glasnow.