Walker homers twice, Astros beat Cubs 3-0 as Chicago loses 7 straight for first time since 2022

CHICAGO (AP) — Christian Walker homered twice with three RBIs, and the Houston Astros beat Chicago 3-0 Saturday to extend the Cubs’ losing streak to seven, their longest skid in four years.

Kai-Wei Teng (3-3) allowed two hits in six innings, struck out six and walked three as the Astros won their second straight and third in four games. Three relievers followed, with Bryan King working around a ninth-inning single to finish a three-hitter for his sixth save.

Chicago’s losing streak is its longest since a nine-game slide from July 7-16, 2022. The Cubs, who have lost 11 of 13, also had a pair of 10-game winning streaks this season.

The Cubs are just the fifth team in the expansion era started in 1961 with a pair of winning streaks of at least 10 games and a losing streak of at least seven games in the same season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. They joined the 1969 and 2019 Houston Astros, 1978 Pittsburgh Pirates and 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers.

Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez left the game in the middle of an at-bat in the sixth inning with a back spasm.

Walker hit a two-run homer in the first and added his 13th homer in the fourth, both against Colin Rea (4-3).

Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner made a between-the-legs flip to first baseman Michael Busch to retire César Salazar on a fifth-inning drag bunt. The two-time Gold Glove winner made a bare-hand pickup before tossing to Busch, who reached high to his left.

Chicago benched Ian Happ, in a 1-for-24 slide, and started Michael Conforto, who went 0 for 2.

Up next

Houston RHP Peter Lambert (2-4, 3.57 ERA) faced Chicago LHP Shota Imanaga (4-4, 3.38) on Sunday.

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