{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
Major League Baseball
Chi. Cubs 6, Minnesota 2
When: 8:10 PM ET, Friday, May 12, 2023
Where: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Temperature: 69°
Umpires: Home - Pat Hoberg, 1B - Emil Jimenez, 2B - Chris Segal, 3B - Brian O'Nora
Attendance: 30037

Christopher Morel clubbed a long two-run homer in the ninth inning and Drew Smyly threw six strong innings as the visiting Chicago Cubs beat the Minnesota Twins 6-2 on Friday night in Minneapolis.

Starting in place of Nico Hoerner, who went on the injured list with a hamstring strain prior to the game, Morel provided some key insurance for the Cubs with his opposite-field bomb into the second deck in right-center to highlight a three-run ninth.

Yan Gomes delivered a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh for the Cubs, Ian Happ finished with three hits and Smyly (4-1) yielded two runs and four hits to keep his team in the game after falling behind 2-0. Chicago moved back to .500 with its second straight win.

The Twins, who managed just four hits and scored both of their runs in the second inning, dropped to 4-6 in May. Starter Sonny Gray allowed a run, four hits and struck out nine with a walk over 94 pitches, but he lasted just 5 1/3 innings. He maintained the major league lead with his ERA of 1.39.

Down 2-1 in the seventh, the Cubs tied it when Patrick Wisdom singled and scored via Matt Mervis' double off the base of the center-field wall. They took the lead on Gomes' run-scoring single to right off Griffin Jax (2-5).

Minnesota opened the scoring in the second, helped by some poor Chicago defense. Kyle Farmer reached when Morel misplaced a ball at second base, a play that went for a hit. Farmer went to third on Willi Castro's ground-rule double, and he scored as catcher Gomes couldn't hold an inaccurate throw from third baseman Patrick Wisdom on Michael A. Taylor's grounder. Christian Vazquez's sacrifice fly gave the Twins a 2-0 lead.

After Gray yielded only a single by Happ through the first three innings, the Cubs scored in the fourth. Dansby Swanson opened with a walk, went to third on Happ's double and scored on a sacrifice fly from Seiya Suzuki.

Chicago's Adbert Alzolay didn't allow a hit in two innings of relief.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
Chi. Cubs   Minnesota
Drew Smyly Player Sonny Gray
Win W/L No Decision
6.0 IP 5.1
4 Strikeouts 9
5 Hits 4
0.00 ERA 1.69
Hitting
Chi. Cubs   Minnesota
Ian Happ Player Michael A. Taylor
3 Hits 1
0 RBI 0
0 HR 0
4 TB 1
.600 Avg .500
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Hits HR TB Avg LOB K RBI BB SB Errors
Chi. Cubs 11 1 17 .314 12 12 6 4 0 1
Minnesota 5 0 7 .167 10 5 1 2 0 0