The Chicago Cubs are still going through their grueling schedule, as they opened up a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. The Diamondbacks came into Chicago as one of the hotter teams in the National League and were riding a five-game winning streak before the Cubs handed them a 13-11 loss.
The opening game of the series against the Diamondbacks didn’t disappoint the 39,109 fans in attendance, as it was electric and featured a ton of offense from both teams. The game saw seven home runs hit and 24 runs scored.
The Cubs hit the majority of the long balls in this game, as they had five of the seven, and their scorching hot backstop, Carson Kelly, had two of them. Kelly and his teammate, Kyle Tucker, who has also had a hot start to the season, propelled the Cubs to their 12th victory.
Chicago Cubs lifted to victory by the long ball
Apr 15, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Chicago Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) hits a single during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
The Cubs got off to an early lead in the game, as Kelly hit the first of his two home runs in the bottom of the second inning when Diamondbacks right-hander Corbin Burnes grooved him a pitch right down the middle that he deposited into the seats to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead.
“Cruise around the bases, Carson Kelly”
Cruise around the bases, Carson Kelly 😎 pic.twitter.com/Oun3TFB1my
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 18, 2025
The offense then went silent for both teams until the later innings, when the Cubs exploded for five runs in the bottom of the seventh. Sadly, that lead for the Cubs didn’t last, as the Diamondbacks put up a ten spot on the Cubs in the top of the eighth inning to give them a 11-7 lead.
The Cubs didn’t rest on their laurels thankfully, as they answered back with six runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth, which saw Kelly hit his second home run of the game to bring the Cubs within a run, and Tucker hitting a two-run home run to give the Cubs the lead.
“KYLE TUCKER FOR THE LEAD!”
KYLE TUCKER FOR THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/w4HLI4vmhv
— MLB (@MLB) April 18, 2025
Both Kelly and Tucker are off to hot starts to the season, and today showed that they’re not showing signs of slowing down.
Tucker and Kelly are players to watch this season
Tucker and Kelly have been two of the Cubs’ hitters this month, and Kelly’s numbers are surprising as he’s not known for being an offensive catcher. Kelly is hitting .419/.578/1.097 for an OPS of 1.675 in 11 games. In this game against the Diamondbacks, Kelly went 2-4 with two home runs and five RBI.
Tucker is no slouch himself, as he is hitting .318/.419/.636 for an OPS of 1.055 in his first 22 games with the Cubs. In this game, Tucker went 3-5 with a home run and two RBI.
Kelly and Tucker’s hot starts have helped the Cubs be one of the top teams in the National League, and they’ll need them to continue it, given their pitching injuries. With Justin Steele set to miss the rest of this season, Tucker and Kelly will be relied on to score as many runs as possible to give their starters ample run support.
Carson Kelly responds to Cubs fans earnest gesture
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