Astros Beat Cubs 4-2 at Wrigley Field With Arrighetti’s 5 Shutout Innings

Christian Vazquez homered and drove in two runs while Spencer Arrighetti delivered five scoreless innings as the Houston Astros defeated the Chicago Cubs 4-2 at Wrigley Field on Friday. The loss extended the Cubs' skid to six consecutive games.

Arrighetti earned his second straight win, navigating traffic on the bases to keep Chicago off the scoreboard. The right-hander allowed just two hits but walked four and hit two batters. His most critical escape came in the third inning, when he loaded the bases with a walk and two hit batters before recording a strikeout, a popout, and a groundout to end the threat.

Houston provided its starter with early run support. Vazquez led off the third inning by hitting a two-strike sweeper for his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot that gave the Astros a 1-0 lead. He added an RBI single in the fourth inning. Houston extended its advantage with an RBI groundout by Zach Cole in the fourth and a pinch-hit RBI single from Brice Matthews in the fifth, building a 4-0 lead.

The Cubs' offense struggled to capitalize on opportunities, finishing the game 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position and stranding 10 baserunners. They loaded the bases...