CHICAGO (Interstat) — Shota Imanaga delivered seven strong innings and the Chicago Cubs used a late offensive surge to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-4 on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field. Imanaga allowed one earned run on three hits to earn the win, outpitching Philadelphia’s Jesús Luzardo. The Cubs broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the sixth. Seiya Suzuki then blasted a two-run homer in the seventh to extend the lead. Bryce Harper hit a two-run homer for the Phillies in the eighth, but Caleb Thielbar secured the final two outs for his second save. The Cubs improved to 14-9, while the Phillies fell to 8-15.

CHICAGO (Interstat) — Shota Imanaga delivered another masterful performance and the Chicago Cubs’ offense erupted late to secure a 7-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field. Imanaga, the Cubs’ top star, continued his dominant start to the season, allowing just one run on three hits over seven strong innings. He walked one and struck out one, efficiently navigating the Phillies’ lineup to earn his second win. The left-hander has now pitched 19 innings across his last three starts, surrendering only one earned run. The game was a pitchers’ duel through the first five innings between Imanaga and Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo. Luzardo was sharp in his 4 2/3 innings of work, giving up one run on five hits while striking out three. The only blemish against him came in the fifth, when the Cubs broke a scoreless tie without a hit. Ian Happ walked, Seiya Suzuki singled, and after two outs, walks to Dansby Swanson and pinch-hitter Moisés Ballesteros forced in the game’s first run. Philadelphia responded immediately in the top of the sixth. Kyle Schwarber led off the inning by launching Imanaga’s offering deep to right-center field for his eighth home run of the season, tying the game at 1-1. The tie was short-lived. The Cubs answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth against reliever Tanner Banks, who took the loss. Nico Hoerner singled and later scored, and Happ came home on a two-run single by Michael Busch to give Chicago a 3-1 lead. The most important sequence of the game unfolded in the seventh inning, turning a close contest into a comfortable Cubs advantage. Hoerner led off the frame by crushing a solo home run, his fourth of the year, to left field off Banks. After a walk to Alex Bregman, Suzuki stepped up and delivered the decisive blow, a two-run homer to left that extended the Chicago lead to 6-1. The back-to-back power display provided critical separation. Philadelphia mounted a comeback attempt in the eighth. After two quick outs, Schwarber walked and Bryce Harper followed with a towering two-run homer to center field off reliever Hayden Wesneski, cutting the deficit to 6-3. The Cubs added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth in unconventional fashion. With the bases loaded, Hoerner was hit by a pitch from Brad Keller, forcing in a run to make it 7-3. The Phillies refused to go quietly in the ninth against closer Caleb Thielbar. Adolis García reached on an infield single and advanced to third on a fielding error by third baseman Scott Kingery. Alec Bohm drove him in with a sacrifice fly to pull Philadelphia within three runs. Brandon Marsh followed with a single to put the tying run on deck, but Thielbar induced a flyout from Edmundo Sosa and a popout from Trea Turner to end the game and secure his second save. The Cubs’ offense was relentless, racking up 12 hits. Hoerner and Suzuki each had two hits, with Suzuki driving in two runs and Hoerner scoring twice. Busch also contributed two RBIs. For the Phillies, who managed just six hits, Schwarber and Harper provided the power, combining for two homers and three RBIs. With the win, the Cubs improved to 14-9 on the season, while the Phillies fell to a disappointing 8-15. The victory also gave Chicago a 2-0 series lead in the four-game set, having outscored Philadelphia 12-5 in the first two contests. The teams will meet again Wednesday night at Wrigley Field. The final score of 11 total runs went under the pregame over/under line of 8.5, contrary to the high-scoring trend in recent matchups between the clubs. The game time was 2 hours, 51 minutes, with an announced attendance of 30,651 on a cool April evening on Chicago’s North Side.

PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — The struggling Philadelphia Phillies aim to halt a five-game skid when they visit the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday night in the second of a four-game series. The Phillies (8-13) have dropped the first five contests of a 10-game road trip, including a 5-1 loss in Monday’s series opener and three straight in Atlanta over the weekend. They have lost seven of their last eight overall. Chicago (12-9) has won three of its last four, including a 2-1, 10-inning victory over the New York Mets on Sunday. The pitching matchup features a rematch from last week in Philadelphia. Cubs right-hander Javier Assad (2-1, 4.91 ERA) will face Phillies lefty Shota Imanaga (1-1, 4.50 ERA). On April 13, the Phillies battered Assad for 11 hits and nine earned runs over 4 1/3 innings in a 13-7 victory. Imanaga started that game but did not factor in the decision, allowing four runs over five innings. A player to watch for Philadelphia is Kyle Schwarber. The designated hitter is coming off a 2-for-4 performance with a home run and two RBIs in Sunday’s loss to Atlanta. He also homered twice and drove in three against the Cubs in that April 13 win. Assad, meanwhile, rebounded from his rough outing against Philadelphia with a strong start Sunday, holding the Mets to one run on three hits over 5 2/3 innings. The Cubs have taken three of the first four meetings between the teams this season, outscoring the Phillies 33-20. According to National Statistical, the Cubs are projected to win with a 55.2% probability, and its game simulator predicts a 6-2 Chicago victory. Despite this, Philadelphia has been installed as a pregame betting favorite at -1.5. The over/under is set at 8.5 runs. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT under cloudy skies with a temperature near 50 degrees.