The Cubs put the Blue Jays away early and did it with a signature moment from the least likely source. Kevin Gausman was on the mound — he's been one of the better starters in baseball for years — and the Cubs loaded the bases against him. Then Carson Kelly, the backup catcher, put it in the bleachers for his 4th home run of the season. Grand slam. Game over. When your backup catcher is going deep off Kevin Gausman with the bases loaded at Wrigley, the other team is in for a long night.
Carson Kelly's grand slam off Gausman — the blow that cracked the game open at Wrigley.
Toronto had no real answer after that. The Blue Jays clawed back a couple of runs, but by the 6th inning they were trailing 7-2 and watching their best player head to the dugout. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. came to the plate, ran out of the box, and then reportedly exited with a sore back. Vladdy is the face of that franchise — he's been one of the most dangerous hitters in the league for years and was posting monster numbers again this season. Losing him in a blowout, potentially to linger into the rest of the series, is exactly the kind of footnote that turns a bad loss into a genuinely rough road trip.
Vladdy Jr. walking off after his at-bat with his back barking, the Blue Jays down 5 in the 6th.
The Cubs weren't done making it miserable. Into the 7th, outfielder Justin Dean turned in the kind of defensive play that makes a crowd that's already celebrating get even louder. Dean tracked a ball all the way to the ivy wall and hauled it in on a dead run — the kind of grab that only feels possible at Wrigley, where the outfield has eaten many a sure double over the years. It was the bow on a dominant performance.
Justin Dean going full speed to the ivy wall for a running catch in the 7th inning.
There's nothing not to like about this one from a Cubs perspective. They got a huge lift from an unlikely bat, played strong defense late, and sent the opposing team home short a healthy Vladdy Jr. The Blue Jays have enough pitching to stay competitive in any series, but losing Guerrero to injury — even if it turns out to be minor — makes everything harder. For the Cubs, this is exactly the kind of dominant home win you want to build on. The W flag went up at Wrigley, the ivy looked good, and the Cubs looked like a team that's not messing around.