Christian Walker settled the game before most fans had found their seats. His two home runs, including a first-inning blast that scored Yordan Alvarez, carried Houston to a 3-0 victory over Chicago at Wrigley Field.
Walker went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored, raising his season totals to 13 home runs and 34 RBIs while batting .266. The first baseman walked once and never struck out, controlling every plate appearance against Cubs pitching.
Walker's two-run homer in the first inning scored Alvarez and gave Houston an early 2-0 lead. Walker added a solo shot in the fourth inning, extending the margin to 3-0 with another blast to left center field.
Colin Rea absorbed the loss despite seven innings of work, allowing three runs on four hits with four strikeouts. His ERA stands at 4.83 after falling to 4-3 on the season. The Cubs managed just three hits and never mounted a serious threat against Houston's pitching.
Kai-Wei Teng earned the victory with six shutout innings, striking out six while allowing two hits and three walks. Bryan King recorded his sixth save with a scoreless ninth inning. Houston snapped a losing streak to improve to 21-31, while Chicago extended its losing streak to six games and fell to 29-22.