Chicago Cubs win behind a monster blast from Kyle Schwarber in opener

The Chicago Cubs found a way to win a crazy back and forth game 6-5, in the opening game of the series against the Mariners.

These West Coast games as Chicago Cubs fans can be a grind. Late start time and even later finish time, but you got to play them, and when you do play them you might as well win. The Cubs found a way on Tuesday night to get a win in a wild game.

The Cubs got going right out of the gate on the second pitch from Mariners starter, Felix Hernandez, as Daniel Descalso hit a leadoff home run. This was the first leadoff home run to start a game for the Cubs this year. After that, the game just had a feeling that it would go the Cubs way. At the top of the fourth, Albert Almora drove in a run to make the score 2-0 Cubs.

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Then in the bottom of the fourth, the Mariners struck gold with three runs. Before this Cubs starter, Cole Hamels was on cruise control who didn’t allow a hit until the fourth.

Hamels was average, at best, tonight as he went 5 1/3 innings giving up six hits, two earned runs, striking out seven, and three walks. The walks are what troubled Hamels in his last start and they did it to him again tonight.

Another good sign for Cubs fans is that the dynamic duo of Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo are starting to heat up. KB was only 1/4 at the plate tonight with one walk, but that doesn’t tell the entire story. All of the balls that he hit were very hard hit balls just right at guys.

The one hit he did have was a rocket double into the left-field corner. Rizzo was 2/3 with a walk and a hit by the pitch. Rizzo came up in the fifth inning with a guy on and blasted a two-run homer to give the Cubs the lead.

The real fun from this game didn’t come until the eighth inning. Brandon Kintzler gave up a go-ahead homer to Edwin Encarnacion in the seventh. In the top of the eighth, Willson Conteras blasted a two-out double into left center. Then came up Kyle Schwarber, who has slowly started to turn around his slow start. He hit it resulting in a huge two-run go-ahead homer that traveled 440ft. That had to feel good for Kyle as he has struggled for the majority of the season so far.

Then came the bottom of the ninth with only a one-run lead and Steve Cishek on the mound for the Cubs. Domingo Santana reached first on an infield hit. Then a wild pitch and there was the tying run on second with no outs.

After a walk to Encarnacion, Cubs fans had to be thinking–oh boy here we go again–because I know that’s exactly what was going through my mind at that moment. But the Cubs got one of there three double plays of the night and just like that two out. Cishek got Jay Bruce looking on a 3-2 pitch with the tying run just 90 ft away.

The Cubs and Mariners are back in action tonight in the series finally as two opening day starters match up against each other.  Jon Lester (1-1, 2.37) for the Cubs and Marco Gonzales (5-0, 2.80) for the Mariners.