Key Takeaways
- Michael Busch hit a three‑run splash‑hit homer into McCovey Cove, marking the 176th such hit at Oracle Park and the fourth by a Cubs player.
- Javier Assad earned his third straight win, striking out five over six innings despite a costly pickoff error.
- Seiya Suzuki broke the scoreless tie with an RBI double, later scoring on Nico Hoerner’s sacrifice fly.
- The Cubs’ bullpen held the Giants to one run after the starter, with Hoby Milner and Trent Thorner combining for three scoreless frames before a ninth‑inning solo homer by Bryce Eldridge.
- San Francisco’s starter Landen Roupp lasted only 4 ⅔ innings, giving up four runs on four hits.
- Jung Hoo Lee’s 18‑game hitting streak ended, and the Cubs now trail the Giants 7‑3 in season‑to‑date matchups despite a recent series win.
The Chicago Cubs defeated the San Francisco Giants 5‑1 at Oracle Park on Friday night, snapping a two‑game losing streak in the series and giving the Cubs their third victory in the last seven outings. The game’s turning point came in the fifth inning when outfielder Michael Busch launched a three‑run home run that cleared the right‑field wall and landed in McCovey Cove. The splash hit was the 176th recorded at the venue, the 68th by an opposing player, and the fourth by a Cubs batter—previously achieved by Joc Pederson on June 3, 2021. Busch’s blast not only gave Chicago an early lead but also energized the crowd and set the tone for a strong pitching performance.
Earlier in the contest, Seiya Suzuki broke a scoreless deadlock in the fourth inning with an RBI double that drove in the first run for Chicago. Moments later, Nico Hoerner sacrificed a fly ball that allowed Suzuki to cross the plate, extending the Cubs’ advantage to 2‑0. These small‑ball contributions highlighted the Cubs’ ability to manufacture runs even when the power surge from Busch had not yet occurred.
On the mound, right‑hander Javier Assad turned in a solid outing, earning the win to improve his record to 4‑1. Over six innings he struck out five batters, walked just one, and surrendered only three hits. Assad’s performance was marred by a throwing error on a pickoff attempt of Giants rookie Bryce Eldridge in the fourth inning; the mistake placed Eldridge on third with one out. However, Assad managed to strand the baserunner, preventing the Giants from capitalizing and preserving his shutout‑like line through the middle frames.
The Cubs’ bullpen held firm after Assad’s departure. Hoby Milner handled the seventh inning without incident, and Trent Thorner took over for the eighth and ninth. Thorner yielded a solo home run to Eldridge with one out in the ninth, the only blemish on an otherwise effective relief effort. The Giants managed just that one run off the Cubs’ relievers, underscoring Chicago’s depth and ability to protect leads late in games.
San Francisco’s starter, Landen Roupp, lasted only 4 ⅔ innings, allowing four runs on four hits while walking two and striking out three. His early exit forced the Giants to rely heavily on their bullpen, which struggled to contain the Cubs’ timely hits. The loss dropped San Francisco to 7‑3 in head‑to‑head meetings with Chicago since the start of the 2025 season, despite having outscored the Cubs 63‑35 in those contests. The Giants remain strong at home, boasting a 6‑2 record at Oracle Park in the series dating back to the beginning of 2024, but the recent defeat shows vulnerabilities when facing timely power and disciplined pitching.
Individually, Jung Hoo Lee saw his career‑best 18‑game hitting streak come to an end, going 0‑for‑3 in the game. The streak had been the longest by a Giants batter since Angel Pagan’s 19‑game run from July 31‑August 23, 2016. Looking ahead, the Cubs will send right‑hander Ben Brown (2‑2, 1.74 ERA) to the mound for the middle game of the series, opposed by Giants right‑hander Trevor McDonald (2‑3, 4.15), who is making his second straight start against Chicago. The matchup sets up an intriguing clash of a low‑ERA Cubs arm against a Giants pitcher seeking to regain consistency after a shaky start to the season.
For more details, see the Associated Press MLB coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/MLB.