Astros 2, Cubs 1
J.A. Happ allowed one run over six innings as host Houston won for the fifth time in seven games and sent Chicago to its eighth straight loss.
J.D. Martinez’s sixth-inning RBI single snapped a 1-1 tie and the Astros held on from there as Chicago matched its longest losing streak since May 30-June 7 last season.
Happ (4-3) allowed five hits, striking out six and walking two. Wesley
Wright and Wilton Lopez bridged the gap to Brett Myers, who notched his
11th save with a perfect ninth.
Travis Wood (0-1), recalled from
Triple-A to take Chris Volstad’s spot in the rotation, was the hard-luck
loser. Wood yielded two runs and two hits over 5 2/3 frames.
Jose Altuve led off the game with a homer for Houston, but Alfonso Soriano tied it in the fourth with a solo blast. That marked the first time the Cubs had scored against a starting pitcher in four games.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Astros CF Jordan Schafer went 0-for-3 as he returned to the lineup after missing two games with a strained muscle in his leg. ... Houston 3B Chris Johnson was ejected after the fourth inning for arguing an out call at first base. ... The Cubs fell to 6-13 on the road.