Busch and Suzuki homer as the Cubs beat the sliding Phillies 7-2 for their 8th straight win

CHICAGO (AP) — Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki homered to help the Chicago Cubs beat the slumping Philadelphia Phillies 7-2 on Wednesday night for their eighth consecutive win. Pete Crow-Armstrong had three hits and two RBIs for Chicago, and Alex Bregman also collected three hits. Matthew Boyd made a successful return from a biceps injury, pitching 4 2/3 innings of two-run ball in his first big league start since April 1. The Cubs have outscored their opponents 58-20 during the franchise's longest win streak since it also won eight in a row from July 21-29, 2023. It's the longest such streak for the club within the month of April since an 11-game run in 1970. The Phillies dropped their eighth straight game in their longest skid since they lost nine in a row in September 2018. They played without J.T. Realmuto after the catcher was placed on the 10-day injured list because of back spasms. Taijuan Walker surrendered four earned runs and eight hits in four innings in his second straight loss. Kyle Backhus worked the first as an opener before Walker (1-4) came in. The Cubs scored two runs in the third to take a 4-2 lead. Bregman led off with his first triple since June 14, 2024, for Houston against Detroit. He trotted home on Ian Happ's single to left. After Suzuki bounced into a double play, Busch hit a 375-foot drive to left-center for his first homer of the season. The 28-year-old Busch hit a career-high 34 homers last year. Suzuki connected for a two-run shot in the fifth. It was his second homer since he missed the start of the season with . Ben Brown (1-0) replaced Boyd and pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings for the win. He allowed three hits, struck out five and walked none.