Estrada's 3-run homer in ninth lifts Giants to 7-6 win over the Cubs

Updated Jun. 18, 2024 12:23 a.m. ET

Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Thairo Estrada hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning to lift the San Francisco Giants to a 7-6 victory over the Cubs on a steamy Monday night.

Heliot Ramos and Patrick Bailey also homered for the Giants, who won their second straight after erasing a 6-3 deficit in the final two innings.

Ian Happ and Michael Busch had home runs for the Cubs, who’ve dropped four of their last five.

The Giants got a run back in the eighth on Bailey’s solo shot off reliever Mark Leiter Jr., then took the lead for good off Héctor Neris (6-2) in the ninth when Estrada sent the first pitch he saw into the left-field bleachers.

“I had a feeling something big was going to happen for me today,” he said through an interpreter.

With one out, Jorge Soler reached on catcher’s interference. Mike Yastrzemski followed with a walk before Estrada’s homer.

It was Neris’ fourth blown save in 14 chances but Cubs manager Craig Counsell said the right-hander will remain in the closer’s spot for now.

“I wouldn’t anticipate doing that,” Counsell said. “We had the catcher’s interference, we had a walk and, frankly, (Estrada’s homer is) a fly ball. It’s the wrong night to give up fly balls.

“The walk was the only bad at-bat.”

Camilo Doval worked the ninth for his 13th save in 15 tries. Reliever Erik Miller (2-2) won despite giving up Happ’s three-run homer in the seventh that gave the Cubs the lead. Happ nearly drove Miller’s 2-2 pitch onto Waveland Avenue in left field. The ball cleared the bleachers but landed a few feet shy of leaving the park.

Soler drew a two-out walk in the fourth and came home two pitches later on Yastrzemski’s triple to give the Giants the game’s first lead. It held up until the sixth, when Busch hit a booming, two-out drive off Randy Rodríguez to center to give the Cubs a 2-1 edge.

“We’ve got a grinding team,” said Yastrzemski, who also started an inning-ending 9-2 double play to prevent a Cubs run. “It’s huge for our confidence knowing we’re never really out of the game.”

Chicago’s Javier Assad allowed five hits, walked two and struck out seven in the first five innings. Giants right-hander Jordan Hicks also went five, striking out four while walking for and allowing four hits.

San Francisco manager Bob Melvin was ejected in the bottom of the eighth by home-plate umpire Manny Gonzalez after arguing balls and strikes.

“We were behind the eight ball a few times tonight,” said Melvin, who took the early exit in stride. “Sometimes it seems our at-bats get even better late in the game.”

It was 93 degrees at the first pitch, three off the record high for the date that was matched earlier in the day.