CHICAGO (Interstat) — Javier Assad pitched 5 2/3 innings of five-hit ball and the Chicago Cubs erupted for seven runs in the second inning to beat the Colorado Rockies 8-6 on Wednesday at Wrigley Field. Matt Shaw tripled to drive in two runs and Dansby Swanson added a two-run homer in the decisive frame. The Cubs tacked on a run in the fourth. Colorado scored once in the third and fifth, then pulled within two on Hunter Goodman’s two-run homer in the eighth and added a run in the ninth. Sterlin Thompson homered twice for the Rockies. Jacob Webb pitched the ninth for his second save. Assad improved to 5-1, while Rockies starter Sean Sullivan took the loss in his major league debut. Attendance was 34,938. Time of game: 2:40. The Cubs improved to 39-36, the Rockies fell to 28-47.

CHICAGO (Interstat) — The Chicago Cubs erupted for seven runs in the second inning and held off a late Colorado Rockies comeback to win 8-6 on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at Wrigley Field in front of 34,938 fans. The game lasted 2 hours, 40 minutes. The Cubs improved to 39-36, while the Rockies dropped to 28-47. Javier Assad earned the win for Chicago, allowing two earned runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings, striking out one. He improved to 5-1. Sean Sullivan took the loss for Colorado in his major league debut, giving up seven runs on seven hits in two innings, falling to 0-1. Jacob Webb pitched the ninth for his second save, allowing one run on one hit with one strikeout. The decisive moment came in the bottom of the second inning. After a quiet first, the Cubs sent 12 batters to the plate against Sullivan. Alex Bregman walked to start the rally. Ian Happ singled, and Matt Shaw tripled to center, scoring Bregman and Happ to make it 2-0. Carson Kelly doubled, driving in Shaw for a 3-0 lead. Dansby Swanson then homered to left center, his eighth of the season, plating Kelly for a 5-0 edge. The Rockies replaced Sullivan with Jimmy Herget, but the Cubs kept swinging. Nico Hoerner singled, and Seiya Suzuki doubled to right center, scoring Hoerner to cut it to 6-0. Michael Busch singled, putting runners at the corners. Alex Bregman then lifted a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Suzuki for a 7-0 lead. Happ flied out to end the inning. Colorado got on the board in the top of the third. Sterlin Thompson led off with a solo home run to left, his first of the game. The Rockies put two more runners on but left them stranded. In the fourth, Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a solo homer to right for the Cubs, extending the lead to 8-1. The home run was upheld after a replay review. The Rockies answered in the fifth. Thompson hit his second home run of the game, a solo shot to right center, cutting the deficit to 8-2. Neither team scored again until the eighth. Colorado mounted a serious threat in the top of the eighth. Jake McCarthy walked, and Tyler Freeman singled, putting runners on first and second. TJ Rumfield grounded out to first, but McCarthy scored, moving Freeman to third. Hunter Goodman then crushed a two-run homer to center, his 21st of the season, pulling the Rockies within 8-5. Cole Carrigg walked, but Willi Castro struck out and Ezequiel Tovar flied out to end the inning. In the top of the ninth, the Rockies kept pushing. With one out, Kyle Karros homered to right center, his fourth of the season, making it 8-6. But Webb retired Jake McCarthy on a flyout and Tyler Freeman on a groundout to secure the win. Thompson led the Rockies’ offense, going 3-for-4 with two home runs and two RBI. Karros went 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI. Goodman was 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. For the Cubs, Swanson went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Shaw went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a triple. Crow-Armstrong homered and walked. Bregman walked twice and had a sacrifice fly. Zach Agnos pitched three scoreless innings of relief for Colorado, allowing one hit and striking out two. Hoby Milner threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the Cubs, allowing one hit. Herget allowed two hits but no runs in his one inning of work. The Cubs’ seven-run second inning marked the largest offensive outburst of the game. It erased any early tension and gave Assad a comfortable cushion. Colorado’s bullpen held Chicago scoreless over the final seven innings, but the early deficit proved too large to overcome. The teams split the first two games of this four-game series. Chicago won Monday’s opener 5-4, and Colorado won Tuesday’s contest 5-2. The series continues Thursday. Colorado opens a three-game home series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, June 19, followed by a three-game set against the Boston Red Sox starting June 22. The Rockies then travel to Minnesota for three games beginning June 26, then host the Miami Marlins on June 29. Chicago returns home to host the Toronto Blue Jays for three games starting Friday, June 19. The Cubs then travel to New York for four games against the Mets from June 22-25, followed by three games at Milwaukee from June 26-28. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Chicago Cubs 4, Colorado Rockies 2. Interstat’s ELO system gave the Cubs a 73.00 percent probability to win. Chicago was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total of 14 runs went under the over/under line of 10.

AP Sports Preview Cubs Host Rockies in Finale of Four-Game Set CHICAGO (Interstat) — The Chicago Cubs will look to complete a series sweep against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. EDT. The Cubs (38-35) have won the first three games of this four-game series, including a 2-0 victory Tuesday and a 5-4 win Monday. Colorado (27-46) has lost four of its last five games. Right-hander Sean Sullivan (0-0) is the probable starter for the Rockies. It will be his third appearance and first start of the season. He has not recorded a decision in two prior relief outings. The Cubs will counter with right-hander Javier Assad (4-1), who has been effective this season. Assad will make his 12th start. Players to watch Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has been a key contributor in the series. He went 4 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs in Monday’s win. In his last 10 games, he has three multi-hit performances, including a 4-for-5 game June 6 with two home runs. He is batting .389 (14 for 36) over his past nine contests. Rockies right-hander Michael Lorenzen could be available out of the bullpen. He started Monday’s game against the Cubs, allowing one earned run on five hits over five innings, striking out five. He has split time between starting and relief this season. Recent history Chicago has dominated the season series, winning four of five meetings. The Cubs took two of three in Colorado from June 9-11 before returning home for this set. The Rockies’ lone win in the series came June 10, a 3-2 victory at Coors Field. Colorado’s offense has struggled at Wrigley Field, scoring just four runs in the first two games of this series. The Rockies are averaging 4.4 runs per game this season but have been held to two or fewer runs in 28 contests. Upcoming schedule Following Wednesday’s game, the Rockies travel home to host the Pittsburgh Pirates for a three-game series beginning Friday. The Cubs will host the Toronto Blue Jays for a three-game weekend series starting Friday. The simulator projects a 4-2 Cubs victory.