Ian Happ drove in two runs, and Michael Conforto slugged a solo homer as the Chicago Cubs defeated the host Miami Marlins 6-5 on Saturday.
Ryan Zeferjahn got the final five outs without allowing a run to earn his first save with the Cubs and fifth of the season.
Conforto’s homer was the major league-leading 200th of the season for the Cubs.
Griffin Conine led Miami with a two-run homer measured at 430 feet in the fifth inning. Kyle Stowers added the longest home run of his career, a 442-foot solo blast, in the seventh.
Chicago (81-62) will go for a three-game sweep of the Marlins (71-72) on Sunday.
Cubs starter Javier Assad allowed three runs on three hits and walked five across his 4 2/3 innings.
Ryan Gusto (1-4) took the loss for Miami after allowing five runs on 10 hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings. The right-hander had a 1.88 ERA in six August starts.
Chicago threatened Gusto in the second inning as its first two batters singled. But Happ tried to go first-to-third on Nico Hoerner’s single and was cut down on center fielder Jakob Marsee’s one-hop throw. The inning ended when Hoerner was thrown out by catcher Joe Mack trying to steal third.
The Cubs opened the scoring in the third, when Conforto launched his leadoff homer 411 feet to center. Happ added a two-run single that came off his bat at 109.7 mph.
Chicago extended its lead to 4-0 in the fourth as catcher Miguel Amaya hustled his way to a double to shallow left, then scored on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s two-out single to center.
Miami loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fourth with an Otto Lopez double sandwiched between a pair of walks. Former Cub Owen Caissie and Mack then earned RBIs on groundouts.
Chicago made it 5-2 in the fifth when Michael Busch opened the frame with a double and later scored on Hoerner’s two-out single that chased Gusto.
Assad exited with two outs in the fifth, and Caleb Thielbar allowed Conine’s two-run homer, cutting Miami’s deficit to 5-4.
Chicago got one back in the sixth on Busch’s two-out RBI single to right.
Stowers’ homer in the seventh again cut Miami’s deficit to one run.
In the eighth, Miami’s Esteury Ruiz smashed a one-out double to center. He was ultimately stranded when Deyvison De Los Santos grounded out and third baseman Alex Bregman made a nice fielding play to throw Javier Sanoja out at first to end the threat.
–Field Level Media
