Javier Assad, Cubs stifle Giants in near-shutout to win opener

Michael Busch bombed a three-run homer into the San Francisco Bay, Javier Assad combined with two relievers on a four-hitter and the Chicago Cubs opened a three-game road series with a 5-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Friday night.

After Giants starter Landen Roupp (5-7) had matched zeroes with Assad (4-1) for three innings, the Cubs took a 2-0 lead in the fourth on an RBI double by Seiya Suzuki and a sacrifice fly by Nico Hoerner.

Busch's homer, his eighth of the season, came an inning later after Roupp had been pulled with two on and two out after a double by Alex Bregman.

In a lefty-on-lefty matchup against Erik Miller, Busch took a pair of sliders before blasting a third over the high right-field wall for a 5-0 lead.

Making his second start since he returned earlier this month after a demotion to Triple-A Iowa in May, Assad allowed a leadoff single to Luis Arraez in the first and singles to Bryce Eldridge in the fourth and sixth before calling it a night after throwing 85 pitches in six innings. He walked one and struck out five.

Hoby Milner threw a 1-2-3 seventh and Trent Thornton retired the first four batters he faced in the eighth and ninth before serving up a solo homer to Eldridge, his fifth of the season, to spoil the shutout.

Suzuki finished with a pair of doubles for Chicago, which lost two of three when it hosted the Giants last week. Five of the Cubs' six hits went for extra bases, including four doubles.

Roupp was charged with four runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out five.

Promoted to second in the batting order after a hot streak that included a walk-off grand slam Wednesday against Washington, Eldridge had three of the Giants' four hits. It was his eighth multi-hit game of the season.

The loss was the Giants' sixth in their last seven home games.

- Field Level Media