CHICAGO — The red, white and blue flags encircling Wrigley Field flapped wildly on April 18, their V-shaped tips pointing out toward the hand-operated scoreboard in center. It was a sign of what was to come — even if it took until the late innings to manifest.
After spending most of the day locked in a pitchers’ duel, the Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs combined for 21 runs over a nine-out span in the seventh and eighth innings. Each team staged a massive and unexpected comeback — and the one that scored 10 runs in a half-inning ended up going home the loser.
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That was the Diamondbacks’ fate, as they fell, 13-11, in one of the wilder games in franchise history.
“It’s unbelievable,” Diamondbacks outfielder Randal Grichuk said. “Games like that don’t really happen. Once the eighth hits, you’ve got some good arms in bullpens. I don’t know if I’ve ever been a part of that (kind of) game.”
The Diamondbacks became the first team in 19 years to have a 10-run inning and lose. The teams combined for 16 runs in the eighth, the most in a single inning in Diamondbacks’ history. The 16 runs were also the most in an inning in Wrigley’s 111-year history.
The pendulum of emotions swung wildly throughout the final few innings. Leading 2-1 after 6 1/2 innings, the Cubs scored five times in the bottom of the seventh to take what appeared to be a commanding lead.
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The Diamondbacks erupted for 10 runs in the top of the eighth, moving in front by four with just six outs needed for a win. But the Cubs responded with six more runs in the bottom of the eighth — and held the Diamondbacks scoreless in the ninth.
From the bottom of the seventh through the end of the eighth, the teams combined for 20 hits, including six home runs.
“There’s no other environment like it in baseball,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “We knew it coming in: The wind’s blowing out at Wrigley, it’s a hitter’s dream.”
To some extent, the conditions were a factor. Of the seven home runs hit on the day, two looked like they might not have gotten out were it not for the brisk wind.
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Both were hit by the Cubs — a grand slam by Ian Happ in the seventh and the second of Carson Kelly’s two homers, a three-run shot in the eighth. However, both came on the same type of pitch: a fastball thrown thigh-high and down the middle.
“I think it was (21) runs in an inning and a half of baseball,” Lovullo said. “It’s probably very entertaining for the fans but super frustrating to us because we know we’re a better team than that.”
Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly (15) hits a two-run home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the second inning at Wrigley Field in Chicago on April 18, 2025.
Part of the reason it unfolded the way it did was that Lovullo was working without his top relievers. He said right-hander Justin Martinez and lefties A.J. Puk and Jalen Beeks were unavailable, and right-hander Ryan Thompson was an option only in an extra-inning, emergency-type situation.
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Lovullo was saving right-hander Shelby Miller for the ninth inning only.
“I sold out to the win yesterday,” Lovullo said. “I was committed to that. I felt like getting out of Miami with a sweep and playing good baseball, with the unpredictability of the next day, I felt like, ‘Why not secure the win? A win is a win.’
“It hurt us today, but there were some opportunities for some new back-end guys, but we just didn’t execute and get it done.”
He was left with right-handers Ryne Nelson and Bryce Jarvis and left-hander Joe Mantiply to cover the back-third of the game following the departure of starter Corbin Burnes, who gave up two runs in six innings.
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But Nelson was hammered for five runs in the seventh, and Jarvis and Mantiply gave up three runs apiece in the eighth. Both Jarvis and Mantiply were seen coming out of Lovullo’s office after the game, a sign they likely will be involved in roster moves on April 19.
The bullpen’s struggles overshadowed what was an incredible rally by the Diamondbacks’ offense, which once again exploded in the eighth inning. No team in baseball has scored more than the Diamondbacks’ 30 runs in the eighth this season.
They opened the inning with three singles followed by a grand slam from Eugenio Suarez, cutting the Cubs’ lead to 7-5. Six batters later, Grichuk, who started the inning with a single, chopped a double down the third-base line to drive home two runs to give the Diamondbacks their first lead of the day.
Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez (28) celebrates with teammates after hitting a grand slam against the Chicago Cubs during the eighth inning at Wrigley Field in Chicago on April 18, 2025.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. added a three-run homer, sucking the life out of the Wrigley Field crowd, which booed loudly after the half-inning finally ended.
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Those who stuck around had plenty to cheer in the bottom of the inning. Kelly’s three-run homer made it an 11-10 game, and Kyle Tucker (two-run shot) and Seiya Suzuki (solo) added back-to-back homers to round out the Cubs’ scoring.
It was just the third time since at least 1974 that a team scored 10 runs in an inning and lost. It last happened on Aug. 23, 2006, when the Royals lost to the Indians.
“You just have to put it behind you from the aspect of it wasn’t the outcome we wanted,” Grichuk said. “But there was a lot of positive in there. Looking at how we answered in the eighth after being down, this team never gives up.
“It’s fun to be a part of it, just, hopefully, games where we’re on the winning side of it more than not.”
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks score 10 runs in the 8th but blow 4-run lead vs Cubs