Ian Happ and Michael Busch hit home runs, and five pitchers from the Cubs combined to hold the Twins to just six hits as Chicago won 8-2 on Wednesday.
Javier Assad pitched the first four innings, and Jorge López (2-2) threw two innings to get the win. The Cubs won the final two games of the three-game series and have now won six out of their last eight games.
Trevor Richards (2-2) came in for Minnesota when starter Joe Ryan left in the third inning but didn’t last long. Richards allowed three runs, walked five, and threw two wild pitches, one of which let a run score. The Cubs also scored on Seiya Suzuki’s bases-loaded walk and Isaac Paredes’ sacrifice fly, giving them a 4-2 lead.
“We did a nice job taking advantage of that,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Kind of kept moving the line and made Richards throw a lot of pitches.”
After Assad left, Cubs’ relievers kept the Twins to just three hits.
Ryan, who had given up Busch’s solo homer in the first, left the game after just four pitches in the third inning due to right triceps tightness.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Ryan will need further evaluation and might miss some time.
After Ryan’s departure, the Twins struggled.
“We didn’t play great from that point on,” Baldelli said.
Happ hit a two-run homer off Josh Winder in the fourth inning, which landed in a fan’s hand on the party deck in right field. Dansby Swanson and Christian Bethancourt also added RBIs off Caleb Theilbar in the eighth inning.
“When you find momentum like this, you want to take advantage,” Bethancourt said after the Cubs finished a 5-2 homestand.
