Yainer Diaz and Cam Smith slugged three-run home runs, and Brandon Walter earned his first career victory as the Houston Astros topped the Chicago Cubs 7-4 on Friday in the opener of a three-game interleague series.
The Astros stretched their winning streak to five games with their early power display against Cubs right-hander Cade Horton (3-2). Houston is 18-4 over its last 22 home games and is riding a nine-game home winning streak.
Horton sidestepped danger in the first and second innings, thanks largely to the handiwork of corner outfielders Kyle Tucker and Ian Happ. Tucker, returning to Houston after being traded by the Astros to the Cubs during the offseason, erased Isaac Paredes at the plate to cap the first after fielding Jake Meyers’ single and firing an accurate throw to catcher Carson Kelly.
Paredes, part of the three-player haul the Astros received for Tucker, smacked a sinking line drive with the bases loaded and two outs in the second that Happ snagged to snuff that threat. But Houston loaded the bases against Horton with no outs in the third and finally broke through.
Victor Caratini lofted a sacrifice fly to center that scored Jose Altuve and provided the Astros a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, Diaz drilled a first-pitch sweeper to left-center field, and his 10th home run covered 377 feet and extended the Houston lead to 4-0. An inning later, Smith, the second position player the Cubs shipped to Houston in the Tucker transaction, delivered.
Smith followed one-out singles from Paredes (2-for-5) and Altuve with his sixth home run. He bashed a first-pitch fastball 398 feet to left-center that upped the lead to 7-0. Smith finished 2-for-2 with a pair of walks and three RBIs in his first meeting against his former organization.
Horton allowed seven runs on eight hits and four walks with two strikeouts over four innings.
Walter (1-1) worked around a leadoff triple from Dansby Swanson in the second and surrendered a homer to Nico Hoerner in the fifth. Walter allowed one run on five hits with five strikeouts over six innings.
Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw followed his two-run double in the seventh inning with an RBI double in the ninth, forcing Houston to summon closer Josh Hader, who recorded the final out in the ninth for his 22nd save.
Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena, hit by a pitch in the second inning, later departed with left rib soreness.
–Field Level Media
