Pete Crow-Armstrong snapped a long slump with a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning, and Kyle Tucker also went deep as the Chicago Cubs edged the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 on Friday night to begin a nine-game road trip.
Crow-Armstrong, hitless in his first three at-bats, launched a 92 mph cutter from Kenley Jansen (5-4) into the right-field seats with one out in the ninth for his 28th homer of the year — and first in 25 games.
Tucker ended his drought in the opening inning, crushing his first home run since July 19 off Angels starter Tyler Anderson. Tucker’s 25-game homerless stretch had been his longest since his 2018 rookie season.
Yoán Moncada provided all of Los Angeles’ offense with his first multihomer game as an Angel. He broke up Javier Assad’s no-hit bid in the fifth with a solo shot and tied the game in the seventh with another blast.
Assad, recalled from Triple-A earlier in the day, worked six strong innings for Chicago, allowing just one run on one hit while striking out four. Brad Keller (4-1) earned the win with a perfect eighth, and Daniel Palencia struck out two in the ninth for his 19th save.
Anderson pitched five innings, yielding two runs on three hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Despite another solid outing, the left-hander remains winless in his last 21 starts.
Key Moment:
Crow-Armstrong, 0-for-3 with two strikeouts on the night, capitalized on a mistake pitch from Jansen in the ninth, blasting it 396 feet for the decisive run.
Key Stat:
Moncada’s two-homer game was his first with the Angels, while Tucker’s homer snapped his longest drought without one since 2018.
Up Next:
Saturday’s matchup features two rookie starters — Angels right-hander Victor Mederos (0-1, 5.54 ERA) against Cubs righty Cade Horton (7-4, 3.08 ERA).
