Cubs 3, Orioles 2: Just enough pitching, just enough hitting, just enough defense

After winning four games on the homestand in blowout fashion, the Cubs played a much tighter game against the Orioles Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

A two-run double by Nico Hoerner and sacrifice fly by Mike Tauchman plated all the runs for the Cubs, and four Cubs pitchers, helped by some great defense, held a good Orioles offense to just two runs. That was enough for a 3-2 Cubs victory, their fifth in a row, before the largest Wrigley crowd of the season, 40,605.

The Cubs broke a scoreless tie in the third. Yan Gomes struck out with one out, but the ball got away from James McCann and Gomes reached base. This turned out to be a very, very important play. Miles Mastrobuoni was the next…