2016 Chicago Cubs season

Previous season

Offseason

Broadcast changes

Transactions

November 2015

December

February 2016

Regular season

Game log

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Opening Day starters

Season summary

April

• April 4 – Dexter Fowler had three hits and Miguel Montero homered and drove in three runs as the Cubs clobbered the Angels 9–0 on Opening Day in Anaheim. Jake Arrieta pitched seven shutout innings allowing only two hits for the win.
• April 6 – Dexter Fowler, Matt Szczur, and Anthony Rizzo all homered as the Cubs again handled the Angels, winning 6–1. Jon Lester pitched seven innings while allowing only one run in the Cub win.
• April 7 – As the Cubs next traveled to Arizona to face the Diamondbacks, Kyle Schwarber and Dexter Fowler collided in the outfield which resulted in a torn ACL and LCL in Schwarber's left knee that would cause him to miss the remainder of the regular season. In the game, the Cubs fell behind early, but came from behind as Anthony Rizzo drove in six runs and Fowler drove in two runs as the Cubs won 14–6, their third straight win to open the season. John Lackey struggled in his first start as a Cub, giving up six runs in six innings, but the Cub bullpen shut out the D-backs for the remainder of the game to secure the win.
• April 8 – In the second game of the series in Arizona, the Cubs took an early lead on a bases loaded walk by Jason Heyward and groundout by Ben Zobrist. Jason Hammell pitched well, allowing only one run in six innings, but four Cub relievers allowed two runs including the walk-off single by Yasmany Tomas as the Cubs fell for the first time on the season 3–2.
• April 9 – In game three of the series, the Cubs jumped up on the D-backs early, scoring three runs in the first inning. Kyle Hendricks allowed two runs in 6.2 innings of work and Hector Rondon earned his first save of the season as the Cubs won 4–2.
• April 10 – In the final game of the series, Jake Arrieta and Jorge Soler each homered and drove in two runs. On the mound, Arrieta scattered eight hits in seven innings of work while giving up three runs as the Cubs defeated the D-backs 7–3.
• April 11 – The Cubs opened the season at Wrigley Field against the Cincinnati Reds, but fell behind 3–0 early. Jon Lester only lasted six innings while giving up the three runs and left trailing 3–0. However, Jason Heyward drove in two runs in the seventh to narrow the lead to 3–2 and Addison Russell hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the eight to give the Cubs the 5–3 win.
• April 13 – After an off day, the Cubs jumped out to an early 5–1 lead in the first inning against the Reds and pushed the lead to 9–1 by the fourth inning. John Lackey allowed two runs in 6.2 innings in the 9–2 blowout.
• April 14 – Looking to sweep the Reds, the Cubs led throughout, breaking open a 3–0 lead in the eighth inning by scoring five runs to push the lead to 8–0. The Reds managed a run in the ninth, but the Cubs moved their record to 8–1 on the season in the 8–1 win.
• April 15 – The Colorado Rockies next visited Wrigley for a three-game series. Kyle Hendricks allowed four runs in six innings and the Cub bullpen allowed two more as the Cubs fell 6–1. The Cubs managed only four hits in the game while committing four errors.
• April 16 – The Cubs bounced back the next day, scoring six runs on homers by Anthony Rizzo, Jorge Soler, and Dexter Fowler. Jake Arrieta pitched eight scoreless innings before Travis Wood allowed two runs to the Rockies in the ninth as the Cubs won 6–2.
• April 17 – The Cubs were shutout by future Cub pitcher Tyler Chatwood as the Rockies beat the Cubs 2–0. Jon Lester allowed one run in 7.1 innings, but the Cub offense managed only three hits. The loss marked the first series loss on the season for the Cubs as they fell to 9–3 on the season.
• April 18 – The Cubs next traveled to St. Louis to face the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. John Lackey pitched seven innings against his former team while striking out 11 and driving in a run. The Cub bullpen blanked the Cardinals as Dexter Fowler homered in the 5–0 win.
• April 19 – Jason Hammel allowed only one run in six innings and drove in the only Cub runs of the game. St. Louis could manage nothing else and the Cubs won 2–1, moving to 11–3 on the season.
• April 22 – Kyle Hendricks gave up four runs and could not make it out of the sixth as the Cardinals beat the Cubs 5–3. Anthony Rizzo homered and drove in two in the loss.
• April 21 – The Cubs hit five homers to beat the Reds 16–0 in Cincinnati. Jake Arrieta threw a no-hitter for the second time in 11 regular season starts while Kris Bryant drove in six runs in the blowout. Anthony Rizzo and Ben Zobrist each homered and drove in three as well as the Cubs pounded out 18 hits.
• April 22 – Jon Lester allowed five hits, but only one run in seven innings and Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Javier Baez each homered in the 8–1 blowout. The win moved the Cubs to 13–4 on the season.
• April 23 – The Reds scored seven runs in the sixth inning off John Lackey and Trevor Cahill as part of a 13-run output to beat the Cubs 13–5. Addison Russell homered in the loss for the Cubs.
• April 24 – In the final game of the series, the Cubs beat the Reds 9–0 as Anthony Rizzo homered twice and drove in four runs. Jason Heyward drove in three while Tommy La Stella hit his first homer of the season. As a result, the Cubs remained the only team in baseball not to have lost back-to-back games. Jason Hammel pitched six scoreless innings to earn his third win on the season.
• April 26 – Returning home to Wrigley to face the Milwaukee Brewers, Addison Russell drove in two runs while Dexter Fowler and Anthony Rizzo each drove in a run to beat the Brewers 4–3. The win moved the Cubs to 15–5 on the season.
• April 28 – After a rainout the day before, the Cubs cruised to an easy 7–2 win over the Brewers as Ben Zobrist drove in two runs and Jake Arrieta only allowed one run.
• April 29 – The Cubs welcomed the Atlanta Braves to Wrigley but could manage only one run through seven innings. In the eighth, tied at one, Anthony Rizzo singled to take the lead and Matt Szczur hit a grand slam to give the Cubs the 6–1 win.

May

• May 1 – For a second straight game, the Cubs trailed for the majority of the game before the Cubs drew within one in the eighth. In the ninth, trailing 3–2, Ben Zobrist led off the inning with a walk and reached second on an errant pickoff throw by Braves closer, Arodys Vizcaino. Addison Russell then drove in Zobrist with a single to tie the game at three. However, in the 10th, Hector Rondon gave up a run and the Cubs fell 4–3.
• May 2 – The Cubs next traveled to Pittsburgh to face the Pirates. Prior to the game, the Cubs announced that Jason Heyward had a sore wrist and would miss a few days. Additionally, Matt Szczur experienced tightness in his hamstring and underwent an MRI. In the game, Anthony Rizzo doubled twice and drove in four runs while Dexter Fowler drove in three as the Cubs blew out the Pirates 7–2.
• May 3 – For the third regular season month in a row, Jake Arrieta was named Pitcher of the Month for the National League, tying a major league record. For a second consecutive game, Anthony Rizzo doubled twice and the Cubs blew out the Pirates, this time 7–1. The win moved the Cubs record to 19–6 on the season.
• May 4 – In the final game of the series, the Cubs completed the sweep of the Pirates as Anthony Rizzo and Ben Zobrist each homered in the 6–2 win. Jon Lester scattered eight hits in 5.2 innings to notch his third victory on the season.
• May 5 – The Cubs returned home to face the Washington Nationals in a four-game series. Ben Zobrist homered again for the Cubs and drove in four runs in the game. Kyle Hendricks and the Cub bullpen shutout the Nationals until the ninth as the Cubs won 5–2.
• May 6 – In game two against the Nationals, John Lackey pitched seven innings and gave up only two runs. Ben Zobrist homered in his third straight game, homering twice, his fourth in three games. Tommy La Stella and Anthony Rizzo also homered for the Cubs who held on to win 8–6.
• May 7 – Kris Bryant hit his fifth home run of the season and Addison Russell drove in three as the Cubs beat the Nationals yet again, this time 8–5. Seven Cub pitchers appeared in the game to get the win.
• May 8 – The Cubs completed the four-game sweep of the Nationals, winning 4–3 in 13 innings. After going to extra innings tied at three, Javier Baez homered in the bottom of the 13th to give the Cubs the win. The win marked the best 30-game start for the Cubs since 1907, going 24–6. The Cubs also became the first team since the 1984 Detroit Tigers to win at least 24 of their first 30 games.
• May 10 – After a day off, the Cubs welcomed the San Diego Padres to Wrigley looking for their eighth straight win. The Cubs took an early 5–0 and held on to win 8–7. Addison Russell drove in three runs and Kris Bryant and Ben Zobrist each drove in two runs in the eighth straight win.
• May 11 – Looking to win their ninth straight game, the Cubs took a 4–2 lead to the seventh before the Cub bullpen fell apart. The Padres scored four in the seventh and one in the eight to win the game 7–4. The loss marked the end of the Cubs eight-game winning streak.
• May 12 – The Cubs suffered their first back-to-back losses of the season, the last team to do so, losing to the Padres 1–0. John Lackey pitched eight innings while allowing only one run, but the Cub offense could manage nothing in the loss.
• May 13 – Welcoming the Pirates back to Chicago, the Cubs scored three runs in the fifth and broke the game open in the fifth as Kris Bryant homered and David Ross hit a three-run homer to extend the lead to 8–0. The Cubs went on to win 9–2, moving to 26–8 on the season.
• May 14 – The Cubs blew out the Pirates for the second consecutive game behind homers by Anthony Rizzo and Addison Russell. Jake Arrieta pitched eight solid innings as the Cubs won 8–2.
• May 15 – The Cubs trailed the Pirates 2–0 going into the bottom of the ninth before Anthony Rizzo drove in a run on a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 2–1. However, Ben Zobrist could not get the game-tying hit with Jason Heyward at second and the Cubs fell 2–1.
• May 17 – After a day off, the Cubs traveled to Milwaukee to face the Brewers. Kyle Hendricks gave up four runs in 5.1 innings of work and the Cubs could manage only two solo home runs in the ninth by Jason Heyward and Kris Bryant as the Cubs fell 4–2.
• May 18 – In game two of the series, David Ross threw out four Brewer base runners and the Cubs tied the game at one in the ninth on an Addison Russell groundout. In the 13th, pitcher Travis Wood, batting because the Cubs were out of position players, walked with the bases loaded to force in the winning run as the Cubs won 2–1.
• May 19 – Jason Hammell gave up four runs in six innings of work and the Cubs managed only three runs despite a Dexter Fowler leadoff home run. As a result, the Cubs fell to the Brewers 5–3.
• May 20 – Traveling to San Francisco to face the Giants, the Cubs jumped out early, scoring five runs in the second on RBI singles by Jake Arrieta and Tommy La Stella and a three-run home run by Kris Bryant. That would be all Arrieta would need as he allowed only one run in seven innings of work as the Cubs won 8–1. Jason Heyward suffered an injury colliding with the right-center field wall and the team announced he suffered a contusion and would miss a few games.
• May 21 – Jon Lester only lasted 2.2 innings as he gave up five runs while walking three and allowing six hits. The Cubs scored once in the eighth and once in the ninth, but it was not enough as the Giants won 5–3.
• May 22 – The Cubs were shutout 1–0 by Madison Bumgarner and the Giant bullpen on Sunday Night Baseball. The loss dropped the Cubs record to 29–13 on the season.
• May 23 – Traveling to St. Louis to face the Cardinals, the Cubs took a 3–1 lead into the seventh, but John Lackey could not hold the lead, allowing the Cardinals to tie the game. Adam Warren gave up a walkoff solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to Randal Grichuk as the Cubs fell 4–3.
• May 24 – Jason Heyward returned to the lineup after missing four games and the Cubs scored six runs in the first inning. Jorge Soler drove in three runs in the game. The Cubs added four in the ninth, blowing out the Cardinals 12–3.
• May 25 – The Cubs again scored six runs in an inning, this time in the second to take a 6–2 lead. Kris Bryant homered and drove in three as the Cubs held on to beat the Cardinals 9–8 and to move to 31–14 on the season.
• May 27 – Returning to Wrigley to face the Philadelphia Phillies following an off day, Jorge Soler, David Ross, and Kris Bryant homered as the Cubs won 6–2. Jon Lester allowed two runs in 6.1 innings to get the win.
• May 28 – The Cubs took an early lead against the Phillies in game two as Dexter Fowler led off the bottom of the first with a home run. Kyle Hendricks pitched nine stellar innings, allowing only one run on five hits as the Cubs won 4–1.
• May 29 – The Cubs again jumped early on the Phillies, scoring in four of the first five innings and taking a 7–0 lead. Ben Zobrist drove in three and John Lackey allowed only one run in seven innings of work as the Cubs won 7–2, sweeping the Phillies.
• May 30 – With the Los Angeles Dodgers in town, Jason Hammel left a game against the after two innings with a leg cramp. The Cub bullpen combined for seven perfect innings of relief as the Cubs shut out the Dodgers 2–0. Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward drove in the runs for the Cubs in the win which moved the Cubs' record to 35–14 on the season.
• May 31 – The Dodgers returned the favor in game two of the series, shutting out the Cubs. In a pitching duel until the eighth, the Cub bullpen could not build on Jake Arrieta's seven shutout innings, allowing five runs as the Cubs fell 5–0.