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CHICAGO — The time for the Cubs to start stacking up wins is now.

Justin Turner knew that, and he wasted no time lifting the Cubs over the Orioles with a two-run, walkoff home run in the ninth inning that sealed his status as a cult hero on the 2025 Cubs.

Sunday’s 5-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles (51-61) was crucial as Chicago continues to trail the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers by two games in the NL Central.

The offense still struggled with the wind blowing in, but Wrigley Field proved its worth as a pitcher-friendly park as the bullpen preserved a one-run lead and secured the series win for the Cubs.

Here are three things we learned in a big rubber match:

Better than before

Colin Rea entered his start Sunday coming off a few very rough outings. 

On Tuesday in Milwaukee, the Cubs’ northern rivals jumped on Rea for four earned runs on nine hits. He exited the 9-3 loss after four innings, logging just two strikeouts. 

His start before that came at Wrigley Field against the Kansas City Royals, where he allowed five earned runs on six hits over five innings pitched. 

The good thing for both Rea and the Cubs is that he found a lot more efficiency against the Orioles. A leadoff strikeout of Jackson Holliday set the tone for Rea’s day, and he did a solid job dealing with a tough Baltimore top of the order. 

With two outs in the fifth inning and lefty Gunnar Henderson coming up, Rea made way for Drew Pomeranz, who got the Cubs out of the inning unscathed. 

Rea’s final line stood at 4.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits and striking out four. The 34-year-old’s ERA stands at 4.23 in 19 starts with the Cubs this year.

On an island in the sun

The Cubs have done a lot of stranding across this three-game series with Baltimore. 

In the first two games of the series combined, hitters left 13 men on base — three on Friday and a whopping 10 on Saturday. They entered Sunday 3-for-16 (.188) with runners in scoring position in the series. 

The Cubs grinded out a 1-0 win Friday, but Saturday’s lack of production stung much more — especially after a 4-3 loss which saw Matthew Boyd pitch a seven-inning scoreless gem. 

With the game tied at two through five innings on Sunday, the Cubs had already stranded seven more — even with their two runs coming on hits with runners in scoring position.

But things can also come when you least expect them to — like a clutch hit from Dansby Swanson. Swanson entered the game hitting just .171 (19-for-111) with RISP — but, from his new No. 9 spot in the batting order, he gave the Cubs a 3-2 lead with a two-out single in the sixth inning. 

A golden opportunity presented itself in the seventh inning when Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki each singled to begin the inning, but a subsequent strikeout from Pete Crow-Armstrong and a double-play groundout from Carson Kelly added to the Cubs’ unwanted “LOB” total, and rounded out the Cubs’ average with RISP this series to 6-for-25 (.240).

Bullpen buffer

Saturday’s eighth-inning blowup was a rarity for Caleb Thielbar, who had been incredibly reliable all season. 

It was a hiccup that meant Cubs relievers had their work cut out for them on Sunday. 

First was Drew Pomeranz, who relieved Rea in the fifth inning and preserved the deadlock. He went 1.1 innings, striking out two. 

Next came new reliever Andrew Kittredge, who entered with the Cubs leading by a run in the eighth inning. He was an under-the-radar trade deadline pickup for the Cubs, but so far, he’s been all but that. Kittredge was lights-out in his debut Friday, pitching one scoreless inning while striking out two of his old Orioles teammates. 

Kittredge picked up right where he left off Sunday, pitching another scoreless, hitless inning of relief and notching yet another punch out. Brad Keller followed in the eighth and after walking one, he struck out two in another hitless appearance. 

But then Daniel Palencia entered to close things out, and things didn’t work as well for him. A leadoff double was nail-biting, as were the two outs that followed. Palencia looked to have one foot out of the jam until Ryan Noda’s single tied the game at three at the death for Baltimore.

Still, it was Turner’s heroics that notched Palencia the win.

The Cubs will stay at Wrigley Field on Monday to commence a three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds. 

In the 7:05 p.m. series-opener, right-hander Michael Soroka (3-8, 4.87 ERA) will make his first start as a Cub since joining the team ahead of the trade deadline from the Washington Nationals. The visitors will send lefty Nick Lodolo (8-6, 3.09 ERA) to the mound. 

Coverage begins at 5:30 p.m. CT on Marquee Sports Network.