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July 29, 2026 · Extra-Inning Loss · Busch Stadium

Tenth-Inning Gut Punch: Cubs Waste Boyd Gem, Fall 3-2 to Cardinals

Pete Crow-Armstrong looked like he had stolen the night with a 424-foot homer in the top of the 10th. Then the bottom half unraveled, and Iván Herrera's walk-off double turned a 2-0 Cubs lead into a 3-2 Cardinals win.
Final
STL 3 · CHC 2
10 innings
PCA Blast
424 FT
Go-ahead HR in 10th
Boyd
7 IP · 0 ER
4 H, 5 K, 2 BB
Cubs Offense
3 hits
Silent until extras
The Core StoryFor nine innings, the Cubs had almost nothing offensively. For seven innings, Matthew Boyd gave them everything they could ask for. The game finally cracked open in the 10th, briefly in Chicago's favor, before St. Louis answered with three runs and a walk-off double.
1. Boyd deserved betterSeven scoreless innings from Boyd kept the Cubs alive through a night when the bats managed only one hit in regulation.
2. PCA nearly stole itCrow-Armstrong's 24th homer traveled 424 feet and gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead in the 10th.
3. The bottom 10th flipped everythingNootbaar singled, Wetherholt walked, Walker forced in a run, and Herrera doubled home the tying and winning runs.

PCA Extra-Inning Blast

A 424-foot swing that should have been the story of the night.
Pete Crow-Armstrong · Top 10thGo-ahead two-run homer to right-center424 FT24th HR of seasonHOME PLATERIGHT-CENTERImpact: Cubs led 2-0, but the lead did not survive the bottom half.

Bottom-10th Collapse

Three Cardinals runs erased the Cubs' extra-inning lead.
0123CHC 10th: 2STL 10th: 3Extra innings flipped from steal to sting.

⏱ Visual Timeline Of Key Plays

Regulation
Boyd and the Cubs bullpen held St. Louis scoreless through nine, but the Cubs offense managed only one hit before extras.
Top 10th
Pete Crow-Armstrong homers 424 feet to right-center, scoring Dansby Swanson and giving the Cubs a 2-0 lead.
Bottom 10th
Lars Nootbaar starts the response with a pinch-hit single, and JJ Wetherholt walks to put pressure on Trent Thornton.
Bottom 10th, one out
Jordan Walker's fielder's choice scores Nathan Church, cutting the lead to 2-1.
Walk-off
Iván Herrera doubles to left-center, scoring Walker and Wetherholt for a 3-2 Cardinals win.

🎯 Pitching Breakdown

There is no way around the split reality: Matthew Boyd was outstanding, and the game still slipped away. Boyd scattered four hits across seven scoreless innings, Jacob Webb struck out three in the eighth, and Caleb Thielbar worked through the ninth. Then the 10th got away from Thornton.

PitcherIPHERBBKAssessment
Matthew Boyd7.04025Brilliant start wasted by lack of support and late collapse
Jacob Webb1.00003Dominant eighth inning
Caleb Thielbar1.01002Kept the shutout intact through nine
Trent Thornton0.12210Could not protect the 10th-inning lead

🐻 Offensive Snapshot

The Cubs' offense was nearly blanked until PCA's swing in the 10th. St. Louis held Chicago to three hits overall, and Cardinals relievers Justin Bruihl, Ryne Stanek, George Soriano and Riley O'Brien each threw a hitless inning after Dustin May's five-inning start.

Player / UnitLine / MomentImpact
Pete Crow-Armstrong1-for-5, HR, 2 RBIOnly Cubs run production, go-ahead homer in 10th
Seiya Suzuki1-for-3, 2 BBReached three times, but no scoring support followed
Alex Bregman1-for-4, 2BOne of only three Cubs hits
Team offense3 hits, 2 runsCould not support Boyd's start

Friendly Confines Takeaway

This was one of those losses that feels worse because the ending briefly looked perfect. Boyd gave the Cubs a gem, PCA gave them a lead, and the Cardinals still found a way to steal it back. The series can still be won, but this was a missed chance to turn dominance into separation.

PCA delivered the swing. Boyd delivered the start. The 10th inning took both away.

Boyd deserved better.
PCA nearly stole it.
The bats stayed too quiet.
The bullpen could not close it.

Now the Cubs need the finale to turn sting into series control.

May Boyd's gem not be wasted in memory.
May PCA's thunder carry into tomorrow.
May the late innings sharpen quickly.
And may the Friendly Confines see heartbreak turned into a series win.

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Sources used for game facts: Bing Sports scoring summary, ESPN/AP recap and box score, Bleacher Nation enhanced box score, The Athletic box score, CBS Sports game tracker, and MLB Gameday for Cardinals 3, Cubs 2 in 10 innings on July 29, 2026.