3 Takeaways After Giants' Blunder Leads to Another Cubs Walk-Off Win

It appeared like the Cubs were on the verge of losing another series and would be spending another Sunday attempting to avoid a sweep – this time at the hands of the Giants. And despite loading up the bases twice late in the game, both teams only managed to scratch across 2 runs in nine innings of baseball at Wrigley Field.

Both teams were scoreless until the 6th inning, both teams scored again in the 9th. But it was Michael Busch and the Cubs who came through in the bottom of the 10th inning, driving in ghost runner Dansby Swanson to give the Cubs a 3-2 win.

Here are three things we learned after another walk-off winner for the Cubs

Making sense of all the madness

It was another tough day for the Cubs offense, except for Pete Crow-Armstrong, who had 4 of the Cubs' 8 hits on the day and drove in both runs in regulation via solo home runs (his 10th and 11th of the season). On the day, the Cubs went 3-8 for RISP and left 4 runners in scoring position, and the only extra base hits for the Cubs were PCA's two home runs. The Cubs' bats are once again struggling to hit the ball with power, leading to trouble scoring runs.

In the last 10 games, the Cubs have seen their walk rate (7.8%) drop below their season average of 11%, with a .730 OPS in that span, good for middle-of-the-pack 15th. Only Dansby Swanson, Ian Happ, Michael Busch, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Seiya Suzuki have had more than one extra-base hit during that span.

After failing to score with the bases loaded twice in the bottom of the 6th and 7th inning, the Giants would make the Cubs pay, pushing across a run off Daniel Palencia in the top of the 9th. A Tough one for Palencia, who had retired the 1st two hitters he saw in 10 pitches. But a single to Bryce Eldridge and a Sac Fly by Matt Chapman is all the Giants needed to take the lead.

Crow-Armstrong would save the day again and tie the game up in the bottom of the 9th on a solo home run off Keaton Winn (more on him later, though). Then, Ryan Rollison worked around a walk and a ghost runner to keep the Giants scoreless.

With Dansby Swanson replacing Moises Ballesteros at 1st, Michael Busch worked a 2-2 count and put a slider in play – and weirdness followed, leading to a Cubs win.

.@ofcwrigleyfield ARE YOU DOING OKAY?! pic.twitter.com/4ZhIC9XEjZ
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 6, 2026

Victor Bericoto, who pinch-hit for Drew Gilbert and replaced him in RF, misplayed the Busch grounder and the ball. The left fielder slipped behind him, allowing Swanson to score from 2B. And then insanity ensued at Wrigley Field.

Jun 6, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) gestures after he hits a home run during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Pete Henry Crow-Armstrong, human spark plug

I mean, wow!

Crow-Armstrong literally put the team on his back today offensively, going 4-5 with 2 HRs, adding in an impressive sliding grab in CF. He was every bit of a superstar today for the Cubs, and they absolutely needed their biggest star to shine bright in today's win.

Prior to Saturday's game, Crow-Armstrong had a 1.105 OPS with 6 extra-base hits, including two home runs in his last 10 games, heating up at a time when the rest of the lineup continues to struggle to hit with power.

Hopefully PCA's offensive outburst can jumpstart the rest of the Cubs' bats as they trend towards .500 and out of the playoff picture.

Cubs bullpen's may have a home run problem

It's hard to crack down on the Cubs' bullpen for their effort today, covering 4.2 innings today. However, the home run ball has become a real issue for them. Currently, the Cubs are ranked 2nd in home-run/fly-ball rate at 13.9% – only the Royals have a worse mark on the season. And what that means is roughly 14% of the fly-balls the Cubs' bullpen is allowing are leaving the park.

Lucky for the Cubs today, Rafael Dever's solo home run off Caleb Thielbar in the 6th didn't come with runners on. Still, with Cubs' lack of swing and miss arms and their offense struggling to push runs across, this is not a good trend for a team trying to right the ship.

Regardless, the Cubs now have a chance to win a series – something they haven't done in since May 7th!

Sign up for our free newsletter to stay up-to-date with all things Chicago Cubs.

Add us as a preferred source on Google