The Cubs did not wait long to take control. Pete Crow-Armstrong's leadoff home run to left center in the first inning set the tone, and Chicago kept adding to the margin in nearly every inning that followed, finishing with a 6-1 victory over San Francisco at Oracle Park on Saturday.
Crow-Armstrong was at the center of the offense all afternoon, going 3-for-5 with a home run, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Ian Happ added a solo shot to left in the fifth, his 16th home run of the season, and Pedro Ramirez followed with a blast to center in the same inning — his first of the year — to push the lead to 6-1. Ben Brown handled the pitching side, working 5.0 innings and allowing 1 run on 7 hits with 3 strikeouts and 3 walks. He moves to 3-2 on the season, carrying a 1.74 ERA.
The Cubs scored in each of the first five innings. After Crow-Armstrong's first-inning homer, Chicago added 2 more in the third: Seiya Suzuki singled to left to score Crow-Armstrong, and then Michael Busch stole home to make it 3-0. In the fourth, Dansby Swanson scored on a bases-loaded walk to Busch. The fifth belonged to Happ and Ramirez, whose back-to-back home runs closed the scoring. San Francisco's only answer came in the third, when Luis Arraez tripled to center to score Drew Gilbert.
Trevor McDonald absorbed the loss for the Giants, lasting just 3.2 innings and allowing 4 runs on 6 hits with 3 walks and 4 strikeouts on 92 pitches. He falls to 2-4 with a 4.64 ERA. San Francisco managed 7 hits on the day but could not generate any sustained pressure after the third inning.
Chicago moves to 37-35 on the season, sitting third in the division. San Francisco stands at 29-43, fourth in the division, having won their previous game before this setback.