Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while pitching into the seventh, and Seiya Suzuki and Miguel Amaya each homered, then the Chicago Cubs held on to beat the visiting Kansas City Royals 4-3 on Sunday.
Kansas City wasted no time getting to Hendricks (5-6) in the opening inning. Bobby Witt Jr., who has 44 hits in his last 26 games, singled, stole second and scored on Michael Massey’s hit.
Hendricks, however, settled down to yield just three more hits and walked only one, while striking out three, in lasting 6 1/3 innings.
Down 4-1, the Royals didn’t go down quietly in the ninth. Maikel Garcia’s run-scoring single and Drew Waters’ RBI groundout got them within a run with the tying run on second. However, Adbert Alzolay (18 saves) induced a game-ending groundout from Dairon Blanco, and Chicago won for the 13th time in its last 18 home contests.
That early Royals lead didn’t last long as Chicago scored twice in its half of the first against veteran starter Jordan Lyles (3-14). Nico Hoerner singled and scored when Ian Happ lined a hit and ended up on third base after the ball was booted by center fielder Kyle Isbel. Cody Bellinger followed with a sacrifice fly for a 2-1 Cubs edge.
Suzuki extended the Chicago lead in the fifth with a solo homer, his 12th of the season, well into the left-field bleachers. Rookie catcher Amaya added more insurance when he went deep off Lyles in the eighth for his fourth home run of 2023.
Lyles recorded his third complete game of the season on Sunday, with only two of the four runs earned. The right-hander yielded five hits, a walk and fanned three, but those two homers increased his season total allowed to 30.
Massey and Isbel each had two hits for the Royals, who won the opener of this three-game set, then lost the final two in falling to 17-46 on the road this season.
–Field Level Media
