CLEVELAND \u2014 For 16 innings Sunday, Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ produced a forgettable day at the plate.<\/p>\n
Happ had, at one point, struck out in six consecutive at-bats in the doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians. When the Cubs needed a big swing, though, he came through. In the eighth inning of Game 2, Happ slugged his fourth home run of the season to put the Cubs back ahead after Cleveland erased their lead with a three-run sixth inning.<\/p>\n
Happ\u2019s heroics, however, were wasted.<\/p>\n
The Guardians answered with another three runs in the bottom half of the inning to hand the Cubs a 6-5 loss to split Sunday\u2019s doubleheader.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou gotta try your best to stay in the moment,\u201d Happ said. \u201cThis game can eat you alive, and it\u2019s tough when you\u2019re not feeling right and you\u2019re going to get eight or nine at-bats in the day, you can\u2019t dwell on it. Obviously, a really tough start and didn\u2019t feel like I was seeing it very well and just kept trying to make adjustments to get myself to a place where I could recognize the pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Down two in the ninth, the Cubs managed to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position following Happ\u2019s two-out RBI single off Cade Smith, but catcher Carson Kelly struck out to end the game.<\/p>\n
![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ctc-z-Cubs-Guardians-Baseball_261331850.jpg\")
Chicago Cubs’ Ian Happ is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a solo home run off Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong in the eighth inning in the second game of a doubleheader, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo\/David Dermer)<\/p>\n
Left-hander Shota Imanaga<\/a> surrendered one run and three hits in five-plus innings but earned a no-decision. Imanaga has walked two batters or fewer in a career-high 22 consecutive starts, the longest streak by a Cubs pitcher since Alec Mills\u2019 24-straight starts (Sept. 19, 2020, to July 2, 2022).<\/p>\n But the Guardians got to right-hander Ben Brown<\/a> in relief (two runs, two walks in two innings) to tie the game. Reliever Jacob Webb\u2019s shaky command \u2014 including one walk, three hits and a home run \u2014 led to three runs in the eighth and\u00a0ultimately made the difference in Game 2.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not always going to look great,\u201d manager Craig Counsell said. \u201cYou\u2019re going to go through times when it\u2019s not pretty, but the next at-bat\u2019s the chance to change things and make an impact on the game. And Ian\u2019s been through that, and he did it today.\u201d<\/p>\n After rain washed out Saturday\u2019s game<\/a> \u2014 setting up only the Cubs\u2019 second doubleheader against an American League team (2014 against the New York Yankees) \u2014 the cold conditions with a wind chill in the 30s<\/a> didn\u2019t create an ideal hitting environment Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s more mental, everyone knows it\u2019s cold, so you\u2019ve gotta go out there and compete and control what you can control,\u201d catcher Miguel Amaya said. \u201cYou can\u2019t control the weather. So just go out there, have fun and do the little things.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ctc-z-Cubs-Guardians-Baseball_261325222.jpg\")
Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner throws to first base to get out Cleveland Guardians’ Kyle Manzardo during the fourth inning of a game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo\/David Dermer)<\/p>\n