Jac Caglianone slugs 2 homers, finishes with 4 extra-base hits as Royals top Cubs

Jaylon Thompson, The Kansas City Star on Aug 8, 2026

Published in Baseball

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On a night when Major League Baseball stars Bobby Witt Jr. and Pete Crow-Armstrong took center stage at Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City Royals first baseman Jac Caglianone decided to steal the spotlight.

And he did it in a thunderous way.

Caglianone finished 4 for 4 with two homers in the game.

It was his first career game with four extra-base hits as the Royals pulled out a 6-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

In the first inning, Caglianone belted his 19th home run of the season, this one off Cubs right-handed starter Clay Holmes. The blast traveled 448 feet and registered a 111.9-mph exit velocity.

The solo homer gave Royals starter Seth Lugo an early lead. And Caglianone added to his ledger with an RBI double in the third inning and another double off the left-field wall in his third at-bat of the night.

In August, Caglianone has hit safely in all eight games. He is batting .526 (10 for 19) with three doubles and seven RBIs during the homestand.

Lugo took advantage of the early run support. Royals designated hitter Josh Rojas added a two-run single off Holmes in the second inning. The four runs were enough as Lugo posted a quality start over six innings.

The Cubs did their damage in the middle innings. Lugo surrendered a two-run single to Cubs catcher Carson Kelly and a solo homer to outfielder Ian Happ.

However, Lugo did enough to hand things over to the Royals’ bullpen. His night was highlighted by five strikeouts — including a fifth-inning punchout of Crow-Armstrong — and Witt’s terrific web gem in the second.

Lugo also limited the walks. It was a key difference following his last start against the Colorado Rockies — where he issued five free passes. And per Baseball Savant, Lugo induced 44 swings and registered 16 called strikes against the Cubs.

The Royals turned to veteran reliever John Schreiber in the seventh inning. He worked around two, two-out walks before striking out Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki to end the threat.

Suzuki saw six pitches before swinging through a 94.8-mph fastball. Schreiber was ecstatic coming off the mound as he maintained the lead.

And Caglianone ensured the Royals would be victorious. In the seventh inning, he belted his 20th homer — second of the game — off Cubs reliever Colin Rea.

It was Caglianone’s fifth career multi-homer game. He also tied a career high with four hits in a single game.

KC took a 6-3 lead. The Cubs wouldn’t draw closer as Royals relievers Steven Cruz and Nate Pearson combined to nail down the win. Pearson recorded his fifth career save and first with the club.

The Royals (49-69) evened the weekend series. Meanwhile, the Cubs (68-50) snapped a five-game winning streak.

Both teams will look to win the three-game series outright on Sunday afternoon.

What’s next?

Royals right-hander Randy Dobnak (2-0. 1.16 ERA) will start on Sunday afternoon opposite Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd (7-1, 3.59 ERA). First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. Central Time.