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Inside The Cubs

Kevin Gausman Made a Big Adjustment to Help Cubs Crush Diamondbacks 7-0

Kevin Gausman went 7 scoreless innings in Cubs series opening win over Dbacks.
Sean Sears|
Aug 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Kevin Gausman (12) throws in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
Aug 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Kevin Gausman (12) throws in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago CubsArizona Diamondbacks

The Cubs played almost a perfect game Monday night in Arizona.

The Arizona Diamondbacks (69-63) had no answer for Chicago Cubs (76-56) starter Kevin Gausman, as he threw for seven scoreless innings in a 7-0 Cubs win. The offense supported their starter's great outing, giving him 7 runs on 10 hits with two home runs.

Pete Crow-Armstrong went 0-for-5, yet the Cubs still scored 7 runs. It was that kind of night for the North-Siders. There was some shouting in the middle of the game between the Diamondbacks and Cubs benches, too, thanks to some accusations of sign-stealing. This game really had it all!

And with the Brewers' off-day, the Cubs also gained a half-game in the NL Central, now sitting 5.5 games back of the division lead. A lot of good to get into, so here are three takeaways from the Cubs' big win.

Kevin Gausman zigs when everyone thinks he'd zag

Chicago Cubs pitcher Kevin Gausman
Aug 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Kevin Gausman (12) throws in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 35-year-old Kevin Gausman had his best start as a Cub in his fourth outing with the club. He threw 7 shutout innings to go along with 6 strikeouts. The Diamondbacks were struggling to do anything, as Gausman held them to only three hits on the night.

Taking a look at Gausman's pitch usage, the righty leaned heavily on his fastball, bumping his usage from his season total of 50.8 percent to 66.0 percent. The former Blue Jay is known to generate ground balls and whiffs with his splitter, but Gausman threw it 27 times. And that adjustment ended up being the story of the game.

The Diamondbacks kept sitting on the splitter, but Gausman never threw it. Instead, he recorded 24 called strike fastballs, tied for the second most in the Statcast era, according to Meghan Montemurro. Manager Craig Counsell called Gausman's fastball the key to his great outing in the postgame. A savvy veteran move to recognize the other team's game plan and adjust in the moment to counter it.

A big win for the Cubs and a confidence-building outing for Gausman, who showed why the Cubs went out and traded for him this July.

The Cubs dig the long ball

Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ (8) celebrates with designated hitter Michael Conforto
Aug 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ (8) celebrates with designated hitter Michael Conforto (20) after scoring in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Coming into the evening, the Cubs had hit the most home runs in the month of August with 40, leading the next closest team by nine homers. Their offense has been worth 6.3 fWAR this month, and their .474 slugging percentage is the best in the league.

A lot of that is Pete Crow-Armstrong, who had homered in six of his last seven games coming into the game. He was held hitless, but the Cubs still smashed two more home runs, courtesy of Michael Conforto and Carson Kelly – who went back-to-back in the top of the 6th.

Conforto had a three-hit game in the DH spot for only the third time this season, and his first since July 1st. The 33-year-old veteran outfielder has also bumped his season OPS to .799, as he enjoys a nice season in a part-time role in Chicago.

Pedro Ramirez had two more hits, including an RBI triple to put the Cubs on the board in the second inning and now has six hits in the last three games. After a slow start, the rookie is starting to hit again in an everyday role and giving the Cubs lineup length.

Cubs starter Kevin Gausman talked about the Cubs lineup in the postgame, calling his new teammates relentless at the plate.

The Cubs were only 2-8 in RISP, but with six extra-base hits, they still pushed 7 runs across the plate. To make matters more impressive, six of their 10 hits came from their bottom three hitters. Home runs are always a good thing, but they seem more like a product of good offense and not simply a few guys on a heater in August.

Diamondbacks take except to Cubs gamesmanship

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly
Aug 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly (29) throws in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A bit of drama came from Merrill Kelly and the Dbacks' dugout in the 5th inning. Seiya Suzuki drove in Michael Conforto on a double off the left-field wall, making it 2-0 with two outs in the inning.

With Suzuki on base at second, Cubs third base coach Quentin Berry looked to give a sign to Suzuki to relay to the batter Michael Busch. Kelly became aware of what the Cubs were doing, and tempers flared, with the Diamondbacks' bench coach teaming up with Kelly to get on Berry.

The moment didn't really amount to much beyond that, but it did give us this excellent gif of Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty shouting back at Bannister from the Cubs dugout.

Warning: NSFW!

Craig Counsell was asked about the sign-stealing claims, simply calling it "gamesmanship". Merrill Kelly called it "bush league" in his postgame comments.

Kelly had been struggling coming into this game and had sat down seven consecutive Cubs batters before Conforto's leadoff double in the 5th. He was cruising until he felt like the Cubs knew what was coming on the mound.

Either way, the Cubs tagged him and his teammates for 7 runs and walked away with an easy win Monday night in Arizona. Tomorrow's pitching matchup is Clay Holmes vs Brandon Prfaadt, and it's another late one for the CT fans with an 8:40 PM first pitch.

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Published
Sean Sears
SEAN SEARS

Sean Sears is a contributor for Sports Illustrated Cubs who previously wrote for NBC Sports Chicago and FanSided. He also worked as a producer at 104.3 The Score, running baseball shows like Hit & Run and Inside the Clubhouse. A graduate of Iowa State University, Sean lives in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood and spends his free time walking his dog around Wrigley Field and listening to Cubs games from his patio.