Hayden Wesneski, Cubs blank Angels 5-0

Jul 7, 2024, 11:00 pm

CHICAGO -- — Hayden Wesneski threw 6 1/3 innings, Michael Busch hit a two-run home run and the Chicago Cubs shut out the Los Angeles Angels 5-0 on Sunday.

Wesneski (3-5) allowed a single to the second batter he faced, then retired the next 18 Angels to help Chicago win a series for the first time in five tries. He allowed a hit, walk and two strikeouts.

“I filled up the zone and made them swing earlier than they wanted to,” Wesneski said. “It’s always nice to help the bullpen.”

Relievers Porter Hodge, Luke Little and Héctor Neris finished the three-hit shutout and Miguel Amaya added a pair of hits and an RBI for Chicago. Neris got the final out for his 12th save after Los Angeles loaded the bases.

José Soriano (4-7) gave up three runs and six hits while striking out three and walking one in five innings.

Amaya and Nico Hoerner drove in runs in the third to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead and Amaya scored again in the fifth on a double play grounder. Busch gave the bullpen some insurance in the seventh after sending Matt Moore’s pitch into right field for his 11th homer of the season.

Wesneski won for the first time in five starts. He took Luis Guillorme’s hopper off his right hand in the third inning, but stayed in the game.

“I knew it wasn’t all that serious,” he said of the play, which started a 1-6-3 putout.

The Angels have dropped six of seven overall.

“We couldn’t get anything going,” manager Ron Washington said after his team finished a 1-5 trip that followed a 6-1 homestand.

“We left home and it’s like we forgot what we’re doing.”

The Cubs’ regional sports network featured an all-female booth for the first time in club history. Beth Mowins, Elise Menaker and Taylor McGregor handled the telecast.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Angels: Left fielder Tyler Ward made a hard slide into the wall trying to run down a foul ball in the seventh but remained in the game. He singled in the ninth and was replaced by a pinch-runner.

Cubs: Right-hander Colten Brewer punched a dugout wall after leaving Saturday’s game and later learned he’d fractured his left hand. “My frustration got the best of me,” he said Sunday morning after the club placed him on the 60-day injured list. Right-hander Hunter Bigge was recalled from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move.

UP NEXT

Angels: Davis Daniel (1-1, 2.70 ERA) faces Jon Gray (3-4, 3.92) on Monday night to start a home series against Texas.

Cubs: Neither team has announced a starter for Tuesday’s series opener at Baltimore.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb