The Chicago Cubs dropped a gut-wrenching series finale to the White Sox on Sunday
The Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox saved their best and worst for last on Sunday afternoon. What started as a Cubs controlled game at Rate Field unraveled dramatically over the final two innings, with the White Sox walking away winners, 9 8, in 10 innings to claim the series finale of their three-game crosstown set.
The Cubs had reason for optimism heading into the late stages. They jumped on White Sox starter Erick Fedde early, scoring three runs in the first inning and building a cushion that looked like it might hold. But baseball, and this rivalry in particular, rarely cooperates with comfort.
How the Cubs let it slip away
Chicago carried a 7 4 lead into the eighth inning, with their bullpen seemingly in position to close things out. Then Phil Maton took the mound and everything unraveled quickly. Maton surrendered three runs in just two thirds of an inning, allowing two hits, a walk and a home run that tied the game at 7-7 and silenced what had been a confident Cubs dugout.
Chicago answered in the ninth, and for a brief, electric moment it looked like they would escape with the win. Michael Conforto delivered a go ahead home run, driving in three runs to put the Cubs back on top at 8-7 heading into the bottom half. Conforto finished the afternoon 2 for 5 with three RBIs, easily the most impactful performance of the day for the North Siders.
But the bullpen couldn’t hold it. Ryan Rolison entered in the 10th and was gone before recording a single out, surrendering a home run and finishing with an ERA of 27.00 for his brief, costly appearance. 3. Tristan Peters did the damage for the White Sox, going deep with three RBIs and scoring twice to deliver the decisive blow that ended Chicago’s comeback bid.
A lineup that produced but not enough
The Cubs were far from quiet offensively. Bregman went 2-for-6 with two RBIs and two runs scored, doing everything asked of him in the heart of the lineup. Michael Busch added a home run of his own, going 1 for 6 with two RBIs, while 6. Dansby Swanson reached base twice and scored twice. Nico Hoerner drew two walks to go along with a hit and a run scored, keeping the Cubs offense churning throughout.
The problem was not the bats Chicago collected nine hits on the day. The issue was converting when it mattered most. With runners in scoring position, the Cubs went just 2-for-15, leaving far too many opportunities stranded across nine plus innings in a game they controlled for long stretches.
The pitching picture
Cubs starter Colin Rea gave the team a workable outing, going 4.2 innings and allowing four runs on six hits before handing the ball to the bullpen. Jacob Webb and Hoby Milner were the bright spots in relief, combining for 2.1 scoreless innings and striking out five between them. Their steadiness, however, was eventually undone by the late inning collapses that defined the afternoon.
For the White Sox. Edgar Quero was the standout performer, going 3 for 5 with a home run and three RBIs. Andrew Benintendi chipped in three hits and drove in a run, while Miguel Vargas contributed a double and two RBIs as Chicago’s South Siders showed the kind of balanced offensive depth that makes them dangerous at any point in a ballgame. Tyler Davis earned the win in relief, tossing a clean inning to close things out for the White Sox.
Where both teams go from here
The series split leaves both franchises with plenty to consider. The Cubs, now 29-17 on the season, remain among the better teams in the National League Central, but their bullpen inconsistency is a recurring concern that Sunday’s loss put squarely back under the microscope. Blowing a three run lead in the eighth and then surrendering the game in the 10th is the kind of result that tends to linger in a clubhouse.
The White Sox, sitting at 23-22, take real momentum from the comeback win. It was the kind of resilient, grind-it-out performance their roster has flashed at its best in 2026, and it sends the South Side into the coming week with something genuine to build on.
For Cubs fans, Sunday stings but the calendar is long. Chicago returns home to face the Milwaukee Brewers starting Tuesday, where the team will look to put a rough afternoon at Rate Field firmly behind them and refocus on what remains a promising season.