Cubs Waste Another Strong Matthew Boyd Outing in Extra-Inning Loss to Cardinals

The Cubs had no business winning this game – and they didn't – but wow did they almost win this one!

The Chicago Cubs (61-47) lost to the St. Louis Cardinals (54-54) 3-2 in the 10th inning in what was a scoreless game through 9 innings of baseball. The Cubs had one hit before going into extra innings and spoiled what proved to be another strong outing from Matthew Boyd.

Despite some late-inning heroics from Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Cardinals scored 3 runs off Trent Thorton and moved back to .500 on the year with the win.

The Cubs may have gotten only 3 hits, but there's plenty to discuss after this tight loss.

PCA is a bad, bad man

Jul 28, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) hits a sacrifice fly against the St. Louis Cardinals in the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The kid has got swagger, that's for sure.

Pete Crow-Armstrong added another iconic moment for his 2026 MVP campaign tonight, driving in the game's first 2 runs – and with a nasty bat flip at the end, as well.

I mean, just look at it!

ICE. COLD. 🥶 pic.twitter.com/NQAX5g2CeP
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 30, 2026

That was PCA's 24th home run of the season, along with his 62nd and 63rd RBI. He absolutely crushed Luis Gastelum's changeup 424 feet into the Cardinals' bullpen. The exit velocity was 109.1 mph on that nuke from PCA. He delivered for his team when they needed him most.

Seiya Suzuki would single after Crow-Armstrong, and that would be it for the Cubs in the hit department, ending the night with three in total. Not great, but after 9 scoreless innings, PCA's 2-run home run felt massive.

Despite just 3 hits, the Cubs did work 6 walks and managed to leave 8 runners on base. However, besides an Alex Bregman ground-rule double, Dustin May and the Cardinals bullpen kept the Cubs in check most of the game.

Cardinals steal PCA's moment

Jul 26, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Ivan Herrera (48) rounds third base after hitting a solo home run against the Cincinnati Reds in the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cardinals struggled to figure out Matthew Boyd, as he went 7 strong innings with 4 hits, two walks, and five strikeouts. Boyd pounded the zone with 42 pitches landing in the strike zone, 16 of which were called strikes.

It didn't feel like there were many misses for Boyd, and the fastball topped out at 95.7 mph. It was just another good start for Boyd, who's pitching like the All-Star he was last season for the Cubs. Boyd handed the ball off to Jacob Webb, who struck out the side in the 8th, and Caleb Thielbar did his job in the 9th.

Sadly, Trent Thornton was not as effective.

Starting the bottom of the 10th with a runner on 2nd, Lars Nootbaar led things off with a pinch-hit single, followed by a JJ Wetherholt walk to load the bases. Thornton would get Jordan Walker to ground into a fielder's choice but still drove in a run to make it 2-1 in favor of the Cubs.

Ivan Herrera would step up to the plate and drive a ball deep and directly between PCA and Ian Happ that easily tied the game. Then, Walker rounded 3rd and scored before the relay for the walk-off win.

HERRERA THE HERO 😤 pic.twitter.com/o67haeBx3L
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 30, 2026

The good news is the Cubs still have a chance to win the series tomorrow with Javier Assad now starting instead of Shota Imanaga, who will pitch Friday vs the Yankees. The Cardinals will send Andre Pallante to the mound, who held the Cubs scoreless through 5.2 innings back on July 3rd at Wrigley Field.

Let's hope for better results on Thursday afternoon!

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

Add us as a preferred source on Google