CHICAGO — — Ian Happ homered and drove in three runs, helping Matthew Boyd and the Chicago Cubs beat the sloppy San Francisco Giants 9-2 on Monday night.
Carson Kelly also went deep, sparking Chicago’s five-run sixth inning with a leadoff drive for his eighth homer. Happ added a sacrifice fly and Seiya Suzuki singled in two more runs in the decisive outburst.
Boyd (3-2) pitched six innings of two-run ball as the NL Central leaders won for the fourth time in five games. The left-hander struck out seven and walked none.
San Francisco shortstop Willy Adames and five-time Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman each committed two errors, contributing to six unearned runs for Chicago in the opener of a three-game set.
Luis Matos hit a tying two-run homer for the Giants in the fourth, but the Cubs responded with two runs in the bottom half.
Landen Roupp (2-3) struck out the first two batters before Pete Crow-Armstrong reached on an error on Chapman. Nico Hoerner then singled and swiped second ahead of Dansby Swanson‘s two-run single to left.
Swanson had three hits and scored twice. He is batting .462 (12 for 26) during a seven-game hitting streak.
Key moment
Kyle Tucker‘s sixth-inning walk loaded the bases before Suzuki greeted Spencer Bivens with a grounder into left field, driving in Swanson and Nicky Lopez for a 9-2 lead.
Key stat
Boyd has allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his seven starts this season.
Up next
Justin Verlander (0-2, 4.38 ERA) starts for San Francisco on Tuesday, and Colin Rea (2-0, 1.46 ERA) pitches for Chicago.
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