SAN FRANCISCO—Ian Happ homered in the 10th inning, Nico Hoerner had three hits and also went deep, and the Chicago Cubs snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5–3 win over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday.
Happ homered to center field off Luke Jackson (4–2) with automatic runner Cody Bellinger on second base.
Héctor Neris (7–2) struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning for the win, and Porter Hodge worked around a first-and-second, no-outs jam in the 10th to complete his first save opportunity.
Happ acknowledged Chicago’s struggles in close games this year, noting he hoped the win is something his team can build on.
“We’ve played a lot of them,“ Happ said. ”We’ve been right there … being competitive in games and giving yourself a chance a lot, but [not] coming up on the right side of it, you know? I think we’re just trying to build off that momentum and keep that going into the next series.”
The Giants trailed 3–0 going into the sixth, when Jorge Soler’s two-out ground-rule double highlighted a three-run inning. San Francisco hadn’t advanced a runner past second base before that.
Hoerner hit a two-run homer to left off Jordan Hicks in the third. The Cubs extended their lead later in the inning on Seiya Suzuki’s RBI triple.
Hicks gave up three runs in five innings. He struck out seven and walked two.
Giants Manager Bob Melvin said he summoned Jackson to pitch the 10th in part out of necessity, noting the club’s bullpen has been taxed of late.
The Giants used six pitchers on Thursday, and have used at least five in a game 38 times this season.
“We were using everybody, every day, and it was one pitch today,” Melvin said of the pitch Happ hit for the home run. “I thought [Jackson] threw the ball better yesterday. I thought he threw the ball good again today except for one pitch, and it ends up being a homer.”
Cubs starter Shota Imanaga bounced back from his worst outing, giving up three runs in six innings of five-hit ball.
The 30-year-old rookie from Japan, who signed a four-year, $53 million contract with the Cubs during the offseason, gave up 10 runs in three innings in an 11–1 loss to the New York Mets on Friday.
The Giants had a three-game winning streak snapped. They were seeking their first four-game sweep of the Cubs since 2012.
“Obviously, the Ian homer was a huge play in the game in the 10th, just to give us a lead really,” Cubs Manager Craig Counsell said. “We did a good job getting out in front. They got a nice sixth inning against [Imanaga], and our bullpen was terrific today. All four guys did a wonderful job.”
Trainer’s Room
Cubs: Right-hander Javier Assad (right-forearm extensor strain) was placed on the injured list retroactive to June 24. … Right-hander Vinny Nittoli was signed to a major-league contract, and right-hander Yency Almonte (right-shoulder strain) was transferred to the 60-day IL.Up Next
Cubs: Right-hander Jameson Taillon (4–3, 2.90 earned-run average) is scheduled to start Friday at Milwaukee. Taillon is 4–7 with a 3.20 ERA in 16 career appearances (15 starts) against the Brewers. Right-hander Colin Rea (6–2, 3.62) is set to start for Milwaukee.Giants: Right-hander Logan Webb (6–6, 3.16) is Friday’s scheduled starter against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. Webb is 4–6 with a 4.05 ERA in 14 starts against Los Angeles. Right-hander Landon Knack (1–1, 2.10) is set to start for the Dodgers.
