The Chicago Cubs dropped a frustrating 2-0 decision to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday, September 25, 2026, unable to convert seven hits into a single run while the bullpen surrendered both Boston scores after David Peterson held things together through five innings. With the loss charged to Javier Assad and the win going to reliever Jedixson Paez, this one stings — the Cubs left Boston empty-handed despite getting contributions up and down the lineup.
Cubs Offense Strands Runners, Fails to Score Despite Seven Hits
Seven hits and zero runs. That's the brutal arithmetic of Friday night in Boston. Seiya Suzuki went 2-for-3, Michael Busch went 2-for-4, and Nico Hoerner went 2-for-4 — three Cubs batters each recording multi-hit performances — yet the Cubs could not push a single runner across the plate. When your top of the order is making contact and you still come away with a goose egg on the scoreboard, something broke down in the middle of the lineup, on the basepaths, or both. There's no sugarcoating it.
David Peterson Pitches Well in a No-Decision
David Peterson gave the Cubs exactly what they needed out of the rotation: five innings, three hits, two walks, and six strikeouts without allowing an earned run. That's a quality start by any measure, and on a different night Peterson walks away with a win. Instead, his efforts went unrewarded because the offense couldn't back him up and the bullpen couldn't hold the line.
Bullpen Collapse Decides the Game
The turning point arrived when Javier Assad ran into trouble. Assad logged 2.1 innings, striking out three and allowing no hits, but walked one batter and surrendered an earned run — enough to pin him with the loss. Ryan Rolison followed and could not escape his brief outing: 0.1 innings, one hit, one walk, one strikeout, and one earned run. Those two runs in the late innings were the only ones either team would score all night, and they were enough to seal Chicago's fate. Gavin Hollowell finished things out with a scoreless 0.1 innings, but the damage was already done.
Jedixson Paez Dominates for Boston
Give credit where it's due. Jedixson Paez was the story of this game for the Red Sox. After Brayan Bello handled the first four innings — allowing four hits and two walks while striking out two and keeping the Cubs off the board — Paez came on and was simply untouchable. Five innings, five strikeouts, three hits, zero walks, zero earned runs. That's the kind of relief performance that wins ballgames, and it did exactly that on Friday night. The Cubs had no answer for him.
Key Performances at a Glance
- Seiya Suzuki: 2-for-3
- Michael Busch: 2-for-4
- Nico Hoerner: 2-for-4
- David Peterson: 5.0 IP, 6 K, 0 ER (no-decision)
- Javier Assad: 2.1 IP, 3 K, 1 ER (loss)
- Jedixson Paez: 5.0 IP, 5 K, 0 ER (win)
What's Next for the Cubs
Chicago will need to regroup quickly. Losses like this — where the hits are there but the runs are not — have a way of lingering if a team lets them. The Cubs will look to get back on the right side of the ledger in their next contest. Getting production with runners on base and shoring up the late-inning bullpen work has to be the immediate priority heading into the next game of the 2026 regular season.
