It was not the start to the 2025 season the Chicago Cubs were hoping for. Despite the Los Angeles Dodgers missing both Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, the Cubs lost twice to start the season 0-2. Justin Steele took the ball in game two and was knocked around in his four innings of work. He gave up five hits and five earned runs walking one and striking out five. After getting the Dodgers in order in the first inning, Steele started off the second inning with a walk to Will Smith. Max Muncy then hit a double to put runners at second and third with nobody out. Smith would come in to score on a passed ball by catcher Carson Kelly. Kike Hernandez hit a sacrifice fly to put the Dodgers up 2-0.

The Dodgers would get another home run in the third inning, this time from Tommy Edman, to make the score 4-0.

Chicago put up a thread in the bottom of the fourth against Roki Sasaki who was making his major league debut. After a Jon Berti single, both Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki walked to load the bases. Kyle Tucker then drew a bases load walk to bring in a run. Unfortunately, that was all the Cubs would get as Sasaki struck out Michael Busch and Matt Shaw to end the threat.

Los Angeles got that run back in the top of the fourth when Hernandez homered to left.

The Cubs would get on the board again in the bottom of the fourth when a single from Happ drove in Berti. That was all they would get as Suzuki struck out to end the inning.

In the top of the 5th, Shohei Ohtani hit the first of what is sure to be a bunch of home runs this season. That pushed the Dodger lead to 6-3.

Chicago would add a run on a double from Dansby Swanson that scored Shaw, but that would be the end of the scoring for the day.

It is by no means panic time for the Cubs because it is early and a lot of teams are going to lose two in a row to the Dodgers this season, but it would have been really nice to get at least one win against a watered down version of their lineup. The Cubs will head back to Arizona to play five more spring training games before continuing their season against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 27th.