The Chicago Cubs dropped an exhausting 12-inning affair to the Miami Marlins 8-2 at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. Shota Imanaga gave the North Side everything he had — seven strikeouts, one earned run, and zero walks across five innings — but Chicago's offense managed just two runs on the night and the bullpen couldn't hold the game together when it mattered most. Kyle Stowers homered for Miami and Caleb Thielbar took the loss as the Marlins walked out of Wrigley with a six-run cushion and a result that was far more lopsided than the early innings suggested.

Shota Imanaga Outduels Janson Junk Early, But Cubs Bats Go Quiet

Imanaga was sharp from the jump. The left-hander went five innings, scattered four hits, struck out seven, and didn't issue a single walk. That's a quality start by any measure, and on most nights it gives your team a chance to win. The problem Tuesday was Miami's Janson Junk, who matched him nearly pitch for pitch. Junk spun five scoreless innings of his own, holding Chicago to just two hits while fanning six. The Cubs simply could not generate any run support, and that theme carried deep into the night.

Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki were the offensive bright spots for Chicago. Crow-Armstrong went 2-for-4 and Suzuki collected two hits in six at-bats, but neither player drove in a run. When your two most productive hitters at the plate can't produce RBI, you're going to have a long evening, and this one stretched all the way to the 12th.

Bullpen Collapses in Extra Innings

After Imanaga departed, Aaron Civale provided two solid innings — two strikeouts, one earned run, one hit allowed, no walks. Daniel Palencia and Ryan Rolison each contributed scoreless work in relief, combining for three strikeouts over 2.2 innings. Chicago's bullpen was keeping the game manageable. Then things fell apart.

Caleb Thielbar, who was handed the ball in the 11th, surrendered two hits and two earned runs in a single inning of work. That opened the door, and Edward Cabrera couldn't close it. Cabrera allowed two more hits, issued two walks, and gave up three earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning to blow the game wide open. Miami poured it on to the tune of an 8-2 final.

Miami's Key Performers

  • Kyle Stowers: 2-for-4, one home run, two RBI — the most damaging blow of the night for the Marlins
  • Javier Sanoja: 2-for-5, one RBI — provided steady production throughout the lineup
  • Joe Mack: 2-for-3, two RBI — made the most of his at-bats in the middle of a long game
  • Josh Ekness: earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief, striking out two

Turning Point: The 11th Inning

Chicago had stayed within striking distance for the better part of three hours. The game was still theoretically alive heading into the 11th. But Thielbar's two-run frame changed the calculus immediately, and Cabrera's three-run meltdown turned a close extra-innings game into a blowout. That two-inning stretch produced five Miami runs and removed any reasonable path back for the Cubs offense, which had already burned through its best opportunities against Junk earlier in the game.

What's Next for the Cubs

The Cubs remain at Wrigley Field as the series with Miami continues. Tuesday's loss is a tough one to absorb — not just because it went 12 innings and burned through the bullpen, but because Imanaga did his job and Chicago still couldn't find a way to win. The offense needs to convert hits into runs, and the late-inning relievers will need to regroup quickly. The next game will reveal a lot about how this club responds after a draining defeat.