Ian Happ hit a home run in the 10th inning, Nico Hoerner had three hits including a home run, and the Chicago Cubs ended a four-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday.
Happ’s homer to center field, with Cody Bellinger on base due to the automatic runner rule, came off Luke Jackson (4-2).
Héctor Neris (7-2) struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the win, while Porter Hodge escaped a jam in the 10th inning with runners on first and second to secure his first save opportunity.
Reflecting on the Cubs’ struggles in close games this season, Happ expressed hope that the win could serve as a momentum-builder for the team.
“We’ve played a lot of close games, been competitive and given ourselves chances, but haven’t always come out on top. I think we’re just trying to build off that momentum and carry it into the next series,” Happ said.
The Giants were trailing 3-0 going into the sixth inning, but a two-out ground-rule double by Jorge Soler highlighted a three-run inning that tied the game. Before that, San Francisco hadn’t moved a runner past second base.
Hoerner’s two-run homer off Jordan Hicks in the third inning gave the Cubs an early lead. They added another run later in the inning on Seiya Suzuki’s RBI triple.
Hicks pitched five innings, allowing three runs while striking out seven and walking two.
Giants manager Bob Melvin explained that he turned to Jackson to pitch the 10th inning because of bullpen fatigue, noting his team had used six pitchers in the game and has frequently relied on five or more pitchers this season.
“We’ve been using everybody every day, and it came down to one pitch today,” Melvin said of Happ’s decisive home run off Jackson.
“I thought (Jackson) threw the ball well today except for one pitch, and unfortunately it ended up being a homer.”
Cubs starter Shota Imanaga rebounded from a tough outing in his previous start, giving up three runs on five hits over six innings. The Japanese rookie, who signed a $53 million contract with the Cubs in the offseason, had surrendered 10 runs in three innings against the Mets in his last start.
