Ian Happ hit a pair of three-run homers — one from each side of the plate — as the Chicago Cubs salvaged the series finale Thursday with a 10-2 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies.
The switch-hitting Happ was 4-for-4 with a career-high six RBIs. He homered off Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez in the fourth and right-hander Seranthony Dominguez in the fifth. The only other time Happ homered from both sides was May 7, 2018, against the Marlins.
Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon (5-4) got the win, giving up two runs on four hits over seven innings with seven strikeouts and no walks.
The Cubs broke a three-game losing streak but have lost seven of their last 10. The Phillies have won six of their last 10.
The Phillies carried a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth.
Brandon Marsh drove in the game’s first run with a two-out single in the first, and Nick Castellanos ripped a 407-foot solo homer to left-center, his 12th homer of the year, in the fourth.
But the Cubs answered with five runs in the bottom of the fourth. Cody Bellinger walked and Seiya Suzuki singled before Happ belted a sinker from
Sanchez 381 feet over the wall in left-center.
Chicago added two more in the inning on Tomas Nido’s RBI grounder and Nico Hoerner’s run-scoring single.
Happ struck again in the bottom of the fifth. Bellinger and Suzuki singled, chasing Sanchez from the game in favor of Dominguez. Happ turned on Dominguez’s fifth pitch and drove it 414 feet into the right-field bleachers.
The homers were the 12th and 13th of 2024 for Happ, who notched his 14th career multi-homer game.
The Cubs added single runs on Christopher Morel’s RBI single in the seventh and Bellinger’s run-scoring groundout in the eighth.
Sanchez had thrown 19 straight scoreless innings before Happ got to him. Sanchez (6-4) took the loss, giving up seven runs on seven hits and three walks over four-plus innings.
The win was the Cubs’ second largest of the season.
The Phillies took Tuesday’s opener 6-4 and won 5-3 on Wednesday.
–Field Level Media
