The Cubs and Astros met in the second game of their series at Daikin Park Saturday night. Chicago fell behind early, but a massive 4th inning propelled them to a win.
Houston starter Lance McCullers Jr. had major control problems in the top of the 1st, walking Michael Busch with the bases loaded to force in a run and give the North Siders a 1-0 lead. Cam Smith continued his huge weekend with a two-run shot off of Colin Rea in the 2nd that gave the ‘Stros a 2-1 advantage.
The Cubs exploded for seven runs against McCullers in the top of the 4th inning, beginning with back-to-back home runs from Busch and Nico Hoerner that put them ahead 3-2. After an Ian Happ RBI single, Kyle Tucker had the big blow in the frame against his former team with a three-run dinger that put the road team up 7-2.
Seiya Suzuki tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Pete Crow-Armstrong to finish up the onslaught. Rea settled in after giving up the home run and ended up going five strong frames. Dansby Swanson had an RBI single to build Chicago’s margin to 9-2 in the 6th.
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Suzuki smoked a two-run homer off of Ryan Gusto in the 7th, and Busch knocked in another with a single to put the Cubs up 12-2. The Astros tacked on another meaningless run as Chicago prevailed 12-3. (Box score)
Key Moment
The North Siders were looking kind of listless again before the 4th inning. Then Busch lined an opposite-field home run that just made it into the Crawford Boxes in left, sparking a talented lineup to catch fire and put the game on ice.
Why the Cubs Won
The offensive explosion in the 4th inning removed all the drama from this one.
Stats That Matter
- Rea was much better than his previous couple of outings: 5 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 2 K, 0 BB.
- Tucker had four hits and was just a triple short of the cycle.
- Busch reached base three more times and continues to get clutch hits.
- Hoerner suddenly has three home runs in his last four games.
Bottom Line
This was a nice response from the Cubs after a rough game on Friday, and getting out of this tough road trip with a winning record would be great. Tucker demonstrated why he is worth giving up someone as good as Smith is going to be. The fact that they gave up that much to get him should motivate Jed Hoyer and company to re-sign the big right fielder.
On Deck
The rubber match of the series is Sunday afternoon at 1:10pm CT. Jameson Taillon takes the mound against Framber Valdez in a game available on Marquee with the radio feed on 670 The Score.
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