Los Angeles Angels at Chicago Cubs: Final Score & Recap
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAA | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 1 |
| CHC | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | 6 | 9 | 4 |
The Story
The Chicago Cubs defeated the Los Angeles Angels 6-5 at Sloan Park on March 6, 2024, in a game that began as a relatively close contest before Chicago pulled away through a pair of decisive innings. The DiamondIQ model entered the day giving the Cubs a 54% home win probability, a figure that climbed steadily and ultimately closed at 100% as the Cubs absorbed an early Angels surge and responded with their own.
The Angels grabbed a three-run advantage in the top of the third and added another run in the fourth, but Chicago erased much of that deficit in a pivotal fifth inning. Mike Tauchman's double off Kenny Rosenberg added 11.3% to the Cubs' win probability, and Christopher Morel followed with another double off the same pitcher for a 13.5% swing. Yan Gomes then grounded out, but even that plate appearance contributed 11.4% to Chicago's win probability as runners moved and the Cubs chipped away. A Jake Marisnick fielding error in the top of the sixth briefly benefited the Angels at a 12.5% win-probability swing, representing the single biggest moment working in Los Angeles's favor on the night. Chicago answered in the eighth when BJ Murray connected on a home run off Jimmy Herget, a swing worth 18.8% in win probability that effectively put the game away.
Among individual performers, Javier Assad led all pitchers with a WPA of plus 18.9%, followed by Yency Almonte at plus 15.2% and Adbert Alzolay at plus 3.0%. On the offensive side, Marisnick led all batters despite his error, finishing at plus 24.4% WPA and a RE24 of plus 2.2, while Tauchman posted plus 18.4% WPA with a RE24 of plus 1.8, and Murray contributed plus 18.8% WPA on the strength of his go-ahead eighth-inning home run. The final line showed four Cubs errors against one for the Angels, yet Chicago's pitching and timely hitting proved more than enough to secure the victory.