Happ's Two Homers Propel Cubs Past Phillies in 8-4 Victory

Ian Happ launched two home runs, including a pivotal two-run blast in the sixth inning, propelling the Chicago Cubs to an 8-4 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.

Alongside Happ, Dansby Swanson and Michael Busch also contributed solo home runs off rookie pitcher Mick Abel, who was making his third major league start.

Abel, just 23 years old, had impressed in his initial outings with a 0.79 ERA and 11 strikeouts over 11 1/3 innings. Although he struggled to maintain that dominance in this game, he managed to keep the Phillies competitive. In a critical moment during the fourth inning, with the bases loaded and two outs, he struck out Kyle Tucker on his 89th pitch, escaping a potentially damaging situation.

The young pitcher has been a welcome addition to a rotation facing challenges, particularly with Aaron Nola sidelined for at least two more weeks due to a rib injury. Nola has been out since early May with a sprained right ankle.

Philadelphia's Max Kepler provided some early excitement with a two-run homer in the second inning, giving the Phillies a brief lead.

However, the Cubs responded decisively. After chasing Colin Rea from the mound in the fifth inning, Alec Bohm delivered a two-run single that briefly put the Phillies ahead 4-3.

Yet, reminiscent of their previous night's collapse, the Phillies bullpen faltered again. Happ's seventh home run off Taijuan Walker—a two-out shot to right field—gave the Cubs a lead they would not relinquish. Walker's struggles this season led to his demotion to the bullpen following this outing.

Caleb Thielbar secured the win for the Cubs after tossing a scoreless sixth inning.

In the eighth inning, the Cubs added three more runs, sealing the deal and marking the Phillies' tenth loss in twelve games.

Brandon Marsh, who had been instrumental in Monday's victory with a game-winning single in the eleventh inning, exited the game due to left elbow soreness after being tagged in the second inning.

This marked Happ's 16th career game with multiple home runs.

Looking ahead, the Cubs will send right-hander Ben Brown (3-4, 5.37 ERA) to face off against Phillies lefty Jesús Luzardo (5-2, 4.46 ERA) on Wednesday.