Alden GonzalezApr 25, 2026, 02:56 AM ETCloseESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.Follow on XMultiple Authors
LOS ANGELES — The characters keep changing, the injuries keep mounting and yet, for the 2026 Chicago Cubs, the outcomes don’t change.
On Friday night, in front of a sold-out Dodger Stadium, against the two-time defending champs, it was Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner dazzling on defense and coming through on offense. It was Alex Bregman delivering his first big moment. And it was unheralded reliever Ryan Rolison stepping up for a pitching staff left with few options. It all helped fuel a thrilling, come-from-behind 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Cubs have won 10 in a row, adding to their longest winning streak since their championship-winning season in 2016.
“It’s been so many different guys throughout this stretch here,” Swanson said. “That’s the whole purpose of having a team. We have a collective, great unit and a bunch of guys who want to compete and enjoy doing it together.”
The Cubs have placed eight pitchers on the injured list this month, the latest being late-inning reliever Caleb Thielbar, who landed on the shelf earlier Friday with a hamstring strain. For the opener of this weekend series, Cubs manager Craig Counsell had only three relievers available. And when Jameson Taillon exited after five innings, he needed Rolison to give him as much as possible.
Short-handed as they might be, the Cubs are tied for the third-highest run-differential in the majors, rank second in runs per game, have put up the sixth-lowest ERA and grade out as the best defensive team in the sport.
“He’s unbelievable,” Rolison said. “Just watching him play every night — the plays that he makes, the leader he is in the clubhouse. He’s a great teammate.”
“The guys battle and continue to fight, don’t give up at-bats,” Bregman said. “I feel like the consistency of preparation for the game, the execution of the game plan over the last two weeks has been really good. I feel like it’s a room full of guys that have been around for a while but also want to continue to improve at the game of baseball and are constantly working to improve their craft.”
Alden GonzalezApr 25, 2026, 02:56 AM ETCloseESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.Follow on XMultiple Authors
Hoerner, normally stoic, couldn’t contain his laughter.
An inning after that, the Cubs had their first lead.
By the end of the night, they had their largest comeback win over the Dodgers since 1986.
CloseESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.Follow on X