Michael Busch belted a two-run homer and Matt Shaw also went deep to highlight his three-hit performance, lifting the host Chicago Cubs to a 10-3 victory over the New York Mets on Wednesday.
Ian Happ ripped a two-run double to highlight a five-run third and Matthew Boyd tossed 5 1/3 strong innings to help the Cubs (89-69) snap a season-high five-game losing skid.
The Mets (81-77) lost for the 12th time in 17 games to see their lead for the third National League wild-card spot reduced to a half-game over Arizona (80-77). The Diamondbacks were hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers later on Wednesday, while the Cincinnati Reds (80-78) remained one game out after dropping a 4-3 decision in 11 innings to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Chicago’s Seiya Suzuki smashed an RBI double, Moises Ballesteros had a run-scoring single and Pete Crow-Armstrong added a sacrifice fly. Ballesteros came home on third baseman Mark Vientos’ throwing error in the fifth inning, and the speedy Crow-Armstrong scored from second base on a wild pitch from Clay Holmes, who was late covering the plate.
Boyd (14-8) did not allow a hit until Vientos singled to lead off the fifth inning. Francisco Alvarez stepped up two batters later and launched a two-run homer for the second time in as many games.
Boyd, however, allowed just those two runs on two hits and one walk while striking out three. Aaron Civale recorded his first career save after yielding one run on two hits over three innings.
The Cubs chased rookie Jonah Tong (2-3) after their first six batters reached base to begin the third inning. Happ’s double inside the first base line plated a pair of runs to open the scoring before Ballesteros’ opposite-field RBI single and Suzuki’s run-scoring double inside the third base line sent Tong to the showers.
Crow-Armstrong’s sacrifice fly to right field off Richard Lovelady was deep enough to score Ballesteros, giving the Cubs a 5-0 lead. That closed the book on Tong, who permitted five runs on seven hits in two-plus innings. He walked two and fanned one.
Shaw deposited a 1-1 fastball from Lovelady over the wall in left-center field to begin the fourth inning. The homer was Shaw’s 13th of the season and second in his past four games.
Busch belted his team-leading 31st homer of the season in the sixth inning before Juan Soto socked his club-best 43rd for New York in the eighth.
