Early homers, big inning lead Cubs to a romp in the series opener (updated)

CHICAGO – The Orioles had been good this year both on the road and in series-opening games, but that combination did not lead to a win today at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.

Playing better baseball after a three-game sweep this week of National League Central-leading Pittsburgh, the Cubs hit three homers this afternoon in one inning off Baltimore lefty Cole Irvin and then had one big inning later versus the O’s bullpen in a 10-3 win over the Orioles.

The Cubs (32-37) won for sixth time in seven games as a big crowd of 37,515 cheered them on in the opener of the weekend series. Chicago is 10-7 the last 17 games.

The Birds had scored 42 runs in winning six of their past seven games, but did not score big today in the opening game of their five-game road trip.

The Orioles fall to 43-26 overall, to 21-13 in road games, to 16-7 in series openers, to 9-3 in road series openers and to 6-11 all-time against the Cubs.

Irvin held down Kansas City in his last outing, allowing one run and six hits over 5 1/3 innings last Saturday in Baltimore. And he threw two scoreless today to start his outing on 28 pitches.

But the Cubs hit three solo homers against him in a span of five batters in the last of the third to move out to a 3-0 lead. The three homers tied Irvin's career high for homers allowed in a game, done four times previously.

Catcher Miguel Amaya led off the frame and hit a 1-0 changeup 390 feet to left for the 1-0 lead. He hit his second homer off a pitch that was up in the zone. Two outs later, Dansby Swanson and Christopher Morel hit the Cubs’ sixth back-to-back homers of the year for the 3-0 edge. Both hitters crushed Irvin changeups. Swanson hit a middle-middle change 421 feet on the first pitch and Morel hit his 12th homer of the year on a 3-2 pitch. That one to left-center went 423 feet.

The Cubs began the day ranked 20^th in the majors in slugging and 15^th in team OPS. This was their seventh game of the year with three or more homers. Their season high is five in one game.

O’s starting pitchers had produced quality starts in five of their past six outings, with a 2.61 ERA in that span. And O’s starters came into this game having not allowed more than three runs in seven straight games and in 16 of their past 17 games. They extended that even though Irvin did not get deep in this game. 

Baltimore got one run back in the O’s fourth. With two outs, Ryan O’Hearn doubled to left for his second hit of the day. He scored on Austin Hays’ groundball single to left, smoked at 103 mph for his 30^th RBI of the year.

An inning later the O’s trimmed their deficit to 3-2. Ramón Urías singled with one out and circled the bases on Jorge Mateo’s double to left. Mateo reached third with two outs, but Adley Rutschman popped to short to end the Baltimore fifth down one run.

Irvin went just four innings and one batter today. Manager Brandon Hyde pulled him for Mike Baumann after he allowed a leadoff single in the fifth. Irvin's line showed allowed three runs on five hits and 68 pitches.

Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks went just five innings, allowing five hits and two runs on 88 pitches, with no walks and one strikeout.

Leading 3-2 in the last of the sixth, the Cubs pulled away against three O's bullpen pitchers. Hyde pulled Baumann after the right-hander walked the first two batters of the inning. That led to Ian Happ’s pinch-hit two-run single off Cionel Pérez. Chicago would pour it on, adding Nico Hoerner’s RBI single, Morel’s two-run double for a three-RBI day and Seiya Suzuki’s RBI single. The last three hits scoring runs came off Orioles right-hander Reed Garrett. 

Former Oriole Trey Mancini, who before the game talked about how proud he is to see his former teammates winning in Baltimore, went 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles and two walks. Mancini scored the Cubs' 10th run after his two-bagger in the seventh, coming in on Hoerner's infield single. 

The O's last run came on Hays' bloop single in the eighth, making it 10-3. In that inning O'Hearn singled for a 3-for-4 day. He is 10-for-18 during a five-game hitting streak. 

In the second game of this series on Saturday afternoon, right-hander Kyle Gibson (8-3, 3.90 ERA) will face Cubs lefty Justin Steele (6-2, 2.65 ERA) who will come off the injured list and make that start.

Roster note: Catcher Mark Kolozsvary has cleared outright waivers and elected free agency in lieu of accepting an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

Postgame quotes:

Manager Brandon Hyde on the three-homer inning: "Just middle misses. On the jumbotron the replays they were balls that missed in the middle of the plate. Besides those three homers, I thought he did a nice job, pitching into the fifth inning with an all right-handed lineup. A 3-2 game there got away from us in the sixth inning."

Hyde on not letting Irvin face the lineup a third time: "Just because those guys, the numbers against lefties, and I had Baumann available. I was trying to get two innings out of Baumann. Unfortunately, he had a good fifth and then walks the first two guys in the sixth." 

O'Hearn on the bullpen issues in the sixth: “It happens. It’s a crazy game. Things can kind of go sideways on you there. They squeaked a few hits down the line. Couple of balls get through. Things just can spiral. We didn’t do a good job of limiting the damage there and kind of getting out of that. We’ll forget about today as soon as we get out here and come back with a fresh perspective.

O'Hearn on swinging so well right now and recent batting adjustment: “Feels good to play, get hits and contribute. All that. We want Mounty (Ryan Mountcastle) back as soon as possible. Such a big part of this team and this lineup. Sooner he can get back in the lineup, it’s going to be a lot better for us.

“Minor adjustment with my hands (recently) with the hitting coaches. Really focusing on posture and staying square to the pitcher when I land and not taking too big, crazy swings. That is when I get myself into trouble.

"You know, hitting is such a process. You are never done learning, and fortunately this year I have been around some really good people that have helped me. Things are going in the right direction and I couldn’t be more ecstatic about that. Having fun out there competing, not thinking about what mechanical adjustments I’m doing or anything like that. I’m in a good place right now and just having fun competing."