Game Recap: Cubs power past Astros

Troy Taormina - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 7 hours ago

HOUSTON - Saturday was a much better day for the Chicago Cubs (49-34) as they were back in Houston to take on the Houston Astros (49-34). A big reason for the Astros' sudden surge back to the top of their division is their ability to win games at home, as they have one of the best home records.

That includes a nine-game home winning streak that the Astros took to the ballpark on Saturday as they were looking to pick up another series victory against the Cubs. Not only did the Cubs have other plans, but Kyle Tucker had a happy homecoming as he reached base four times and added a three-run shot as the Cubs took care of business 12-3.

Given the struggles against left-handed pitching, the Cubs knew that this game was going to be crucial, as it was the only game in this series where a lefty wouldn't start. However, with Lance McCullers coming off the IL to make the start, this wasn't going to be an easy task, as McCullers has been outstanding this season.

You wouldn't have guessed it based on this start, as McCullers struggled right from the jump and failed to make it out of the fourth inning before being charged with eight earned runs. Command was the main issue for McCullers in this one as he walked four and struck out one in what was a shaky outing.

Three of those walks came in the first inning after a one-out single from Tucker as Busch worked the third consecutive two-out walk in the first to put the Cubs in front 1-0. Given the first inning struggles for Colin Rea, you would've loved to see the Cubs get more than a run, but Rea did what he had to in this one to deliver his best outing in nearly a month.

The right-hander didn't last long, going only five innings, but with two runs on five hits, they were five very strong innings. Unlike Friday, where the Astros seemed to have traffic in every inning, Rea did a great job limiting the traffic, apart from the first inning when the first two hitters reached before stranding both runners. The same can be said about the second inning with Christian Walker picking up a one-out double ahead of the Cooper Hummel single, but once again it was Rea escaping trouble as the Cubs still lead 1-0.

With McCullers settling down after a shaky first inning, you knew that the Astros were going to come through eventually, and it was Cam Smith delivering the big blow in the third as he touched Rea up for his second homer in as many games to put Houston on top 2-1. While Tucker may be the better player right now, watching Smith do what he has done against the Cubs to start this series has to be infuriating, especially if Tucker isn't resigned long-term.

Trailing for the first time in this one, it was the Cubs' offense that responded massively as they began to play long ball against McCullers. After retiring eight consecutive batters, including Dansby Swanson to start the fourth, Michael Busch and Nico Hoerner put the Cubs back on top for good as they went back to back to make this a 3-2 game.

That makes homers in back-to-back games for Hoerner and three in his last four after being without a homer up until that point. The bottom of the Cubs' order continued to keep the line moving as Matt Shaw worked another walk before Reese McGuire and Ian Happ singled to extend the Cubs' lead to 4-2. Chicago wasn't quite finished as Mr. King Tuck himself got in on the long-ball fun as his three-run shot was the Cubs' third homer of the inning and broke the game open 7-2.

Chicago would add an additional run on a Pete Crow-Armstrong sacrifice fly later in the inning as their seven-run fourth put them on top 8-2. That would be all the offense the Cubs would need as Rea closed out his outing by retiring the final seven hitters he faced before handing things off to the pen in the sixth.

As bad as things have gone for the Cubs lately, especially with the pitching, the bullpen continues to do their job, as they didn't allow a run on Friday and failed to allow a run during the St. Louis series earlier in the week. Whether it's Ryan Pressly, Drew Pomeranz, or Ryan Brasier, the main guys in the pen continue to do their job, which is all you can ask for.

The same can't be said about the Astros and their bullpen, as they not only allowed an RBI single to Swanson in the sixth but also allowed four runs after the fifth inning to put this game away. Three of the four runs they allowed came in the eighth inning as Seiya Suzuki got in on the home run fun with a two-run shot to push the Cubs' lead to 11-2. Swanson followed that homer with a double before coming home on the Busch single as it was all Cubs 12-2.

As mentioned, the Cubs' pen was dominant once again, but they did have a blemish on their line, which came with Porter Hodge on the mound in the eighth. Like Smith, who was a former Cubs prospect, Isaac Paredes was part of the Tucker deal, and with his solo shot in the bottom of the eighth, Houston pulled within 12-3 before falling by that score.

With the win, the Cubs are not only on the verge of a series win on Sunday, but also a winning road trip, which is an accomplishment when you look at how things started off. To do that, they will have to solve Framber Valdez as he will oppose Jameson Taillon to close out this series. Tucker paced the Cubs offense with four hits and three RBIs as the Cubs had 15 hits in the win. Swanson added three hits, with Busch and Suzuki picking up two.