Seiya Suzuki had two hits and three RBIs and Shota Imanaga pitched into the sixth inning as the host Chicago Cubs beat Cleveland 5-4 on July 2, handing the Guardians their sixth straight loss.
Pete Crow-Armstrong had two hits and drove in two runs for Chicago, which rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to win for the fifth time in its last seven games. Dansby Swanson added two hits.
Imanaga (5-2) allowed three runs on four hits with no walks and four strikeouts over 5⅓ innings.
Ryan Pressly, Caleb Thielbar and Brad Keller followed with 2⅔ scoreless innings before the Guardians threatened in the ninth against Daniel Palencia.
After the Guardians put runners on second and third with one out in the ninth, a run scored on Steven Kwan’s sacrifice fly. Then, with Bo Naylor on second base, Palencia got Kyle Manzardo to fly out to earn his 10th save.
Carlos Santana, Lane Thomas and David Fry each hit solo home runs for Cleveland, which has scored a total of 12 runs during its losing streak.
After allowing a total of seven home runs in his first nine starts this season, Imanaga gave up back-to-back shots to Santana and Thomas to begin the second inning.
Imanaga was victimized by the long ball again with one out in the third inning, when Fry turned on a 1-1 fastball for his second homer this season.
Chicago battled back with two runs in the third inning against Tanner Bibee (4-9). With two on and no outs, Suzuki doubled in a run and Crow-Armstrong followed with an RBI single.
Imanaga retired nine of the next 10 batters faced after Fry’s homer, and the Cubs moved ahead with three runs in the fourth.
With runners at second and third and two outs, Matt Shaw scored on Suzuki’s single. Crow-Armstrong then tripled in a run, but was tagged out at third base to end the inning.
Bibee gave up five runs on six hits over four innings. He walked four and struck out five.
Chicago loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth inning, but the Guardians escaped unscathed when Hunter Gaddis got Swanson to fly out.
