Grand slams headline Cubs' offensive explosion

SEATTLE — Ian Happ and Pedro Ramírez each hit grand slams and drove in five runs, and the Chicago Cubs routed the Seattle Mariners 19-2 on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep.

Pete Crow-Armstrong also homered for the Cubs, who snapped a two-game losing streak in emphatic fashion. Michael Conforto added a solo shot, his 11th of the season, on a leadoff drive in the third inning.

Happ's grand slam came in the third with two outs and the bases loaded. Mariners starter Bryce Miller had issued three straight walks before facing Happ, who fell behind 1-2 but kept his hands tucked on a down-and-in splitter and sent it off the right-field foul pole for his 22nd homer of the year, as described by the Associated Press.

Miller, who took the loss and fell to 4-8, walked a career-high seven batters in the game. He also loaded the bases in the fifth, when the Cubs scored on a fielder's choice by Alex Bregman.

Ramírez's grand slam came in the eighth off Mariners backup catcher Jhonny Pereda, who was on the mound as Seattle tried to manage a lopsided game. Crow-Armstrong hit his team-leading 33rd home run earlier in that inning.

Bullpen stabilizes after Imanaga's short start

Cubs starter Shota Imanaga was pulled in the third inning — the shortest start of his career, a reported detail carried by Sports Illustrated. He allowed a leadoff home run to Randy Arozarena and exited after throwing 72 pitches.

The Cubs bullpen responded with seven scoreless innings, with Aaron Civale throwing four scoreless frames to earn the win and improve to 6-7, according to the Associated Press. Trent Thornton and Caleb Thielbar each pitched an inning as well.

The Cubs scored 12 of their 19 runs in the eighth and ninth innings, finishing with 17 hits. Carson Kelly, a position player, pitched the ninth for the Cubs, allowing one hit and no runs — the first time a position player had done that since 2014, according to Sports Illustrated.

Crow-Armstrong's standout season

Crow-Armstrong continued his standout season, hitting his 33rd homer and stealing his 32nd base, putting him on pace for a 40-40 campaign, as reported by Sports Illustrated. The outlet also noted that Crow-Armstrong leads the league in fWAR at 8.5, ahead of Shohei Ohtani's 7.1, and that his OPS stands at .938.

Mariners' struggles continue

The loss kept Seattle (62-69) three games behind Houston in the AL West and three games back for the final wild-card spot. The Cubs (75-56) preserved a 4.5-game lead in the NL wild-card race.

Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena hit a leadoff home run for the second straight day, becoming the 11th player in major league history with at least six seasons of both 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases.

Seattle utilityman Brendan Donovan was placed on the seven-day concussion injured list on Sunday, a day after being hit in the head by a baseball in the batting cages.

Up next

The Cubs open a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday, while the Mariners host the Philadelphia Phillies.