Jacob deGrom reminded everyone why he remains one of baseball's elite pitchers, striking out 10 batters over seven scoreless innings as the Rangers shut out the Cubs 3-0 at Globe Life Field.
deGrom (3-2) was masterful, allowing just three hits and no walks while throwing 94 pitches. The right-hander carried a 2.62 ERA into the game and dominated Chicago's lineup with precision command. Jacob Metz closed out the final two innings for his fourth save, preserving the shutout with a scoreless effort.
The Rangers broke through in the fourth inning when Josh Jung scored on Alejandro Osuna's fielder's choice, a play that survived a Cubs challenge. The game remained tight until the eighth, when Evan Carter launched a two-run homer to right field that scored Jung and extended the lead to 3-0.
Jameson Taillon (2-2) took the loss for Chicago, allowing one run over 5.1 innings with four strikeouts. The Cubs managed only three hits against Texas pitching and couldn't generate sustained offense against deGrom's dominant performance.
Texas snapped a losing streak to improve to 18-21, while Chicago fell to 27-13 despite entering as division leaders. deGrom now sits one win away from 100 career victories, while Joc Pederson remains six doubles shy of 200 for his career.