CHICAGO (Interstat) — Christian Walker homered twice and drove in three runs as the Houston Astros shut out the Chicago Cubs 3-0 on Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Walker connected on a two-run shot in the first inning off Colin Rea and added a solo homer in the fourth. Kai-Wei Teng pitched six innings, allowing two hits and no earned runs with six strikeouts to improve to 3-3. Bryan King earned his sixth save, striking out one in a perfect ninth. Rea took the loss, giving up three runs on four hits over seven innings with four strikeouts, falling to 4-3. The Astros collected six hits, while the Cubs managed three. Attendance was 40,017, and the game lasted 2 hours, 18 minutes. Houston, which also won the series opener Friday, improved to 22-31, while Chicago dropped to 29-23.

CHICAGO (Interstat) — Christian Walker homered twice, driving in all three runs, and Kai-Wei Teng pitched seven dominant innings as the Houston Astros shut out the Chicago Cubs 3-0 on Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Walker launched a two-run homer in the first inning and added a solo shot in the fourth, both on line drives to left-center field, to provide all the offense Houston needed. The first baseman entered the game with 11 home runs on the season and connected for his 12th and 13th in consecutive at-bats against Cubs starter Colin Rea. Teng allowed three hits and two walks while striking out four over seven innings to improve to 3-3 on the season. The right-hander faced minimal trouble, working around a pair of singles in the third inning and a walk in the fifth. He retired the side in order in the first, fourth and sixth innings. Bryan King earned his sixth save with two perfect innings of relief, striking out two. Rea took the loss despite a solid performance, allowing four hits and three earned runs over seven innings with four strikeouts and one walk. He fell to 4-3. The Astros struck in the top of the first inning after a leadoff flyout and a lineout. Yordan Alvarez drew a two-out walk, and Walker followed by driving a 1-1 pitch over the fence for a 2-0 lead. Houston added its final run in the fourth when Walker led off with his second homer of the game, this time on a 2-2 pitch. The Cubs mounted their best threat in the third inning when Dansby Swanson singled and Pete Crow-Armstrong singled to put runners at first and third with two outs, but Crow-Armstrong was caught stealing second base to end the inning. Chicago managed only three hits in the game. Crow-Armstrong, Swanson and Alex Bregman each singled. Bregman’s hit came with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Michael Busch lined out to end the game. The Cubs left four runners on base and struck out eight times. Houston’s offense finished with six hits. Walker led the way with three hits, including the two homers. Isaac Paredes doubled in the eighth inning, and Cam Smith and Brice Matthews each singled. The victory improved Houston to 22-31, while the Cubs fell to 29-23. The game marked the second straight contest between the teams at Wrigley Field. The Astros defeated the Cubs 4-2 on Friday afternoon to open the two-game series. Houston continues its road trip with a Sunday afternoon series finale against the Cubs before traveling to Texas for a four-game set against the Rangers starting Monday. Chicago begins a four-game road series at Pittsburgh on Monday. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Houston Astros 3, Chicago Cubs 2. Interstat’s ELO system gave the Cubs a 62.70 percent probability to win. The Cubs were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 3 went over the over/under line of 7.5. Attendance was 40,017, and the game lasted 2 hours, 18 minutes.

Preview: Astros at Cubs – Saturday, May 23, 2026 CHICAGO (Interstat) — The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs continue their three-game series Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field, with first pitch scheduled for 1:20 p.m. local time. The forecast calls for 63-degree temperatures and cloudy skies. Houston (21-31) enters the game after a 4-2 victory over the Cubs on Friday, snapping a three-game losing streak. The Astros have yet to announce their starter, listing either right-hander Colin Rea (4-2, 3.12 ERA) or right-hander Kai-Wei Teng (2-3, 4.50 ERA) as the probable pitcher. Rea has been more effective this season, while Teng has struggled with command. Chicago (29-22) leads the National League Central by three games despite dropping the series opener. The Cubs will counter with a starter to be determined, though their bullpen remains a strength. Right-hander Ethan Roberts, who threw two scoreless innings Friday, has been a reliable option out of the pen. Over his last five appearances, Roberts has allowed one earned run in 8 2/3 innings. Players to watch Astros right-hander Spencer Arrighetti has been dominant in recent starts. He earned the win Friday, scattering two hits over five scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Over his last five outings, Arrighetti is 4-1 with a 0.96 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 30 innings. He has not allowed a run in his last 12 1/3 innings. For the Cubs, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong provided the only offense Friday with a two-run home run. He is batting .267 with six homers and 24 RBIs. Roberts, who has not allowed a hit in his last four outings covering 7 innings, is a key setup man for closer Adbert Alzolay. Recent form Houston has lost seven of its last 10 games, including a series defeat at Minnesota earlier in the week. The Astros rank near the bottom of the American League in runs scored, averaging 3.8 per game. The Cubs had won four of five before Friday’s loss. Their pitching staff owns a 3.45 ERA, fourth-best in the National League. Chicago is 16-9 at Wrigley Field this season. Head-to-head Friday’s 4-2 win was Houston’s first in five meetings with Chicago this year. The Astros held the Cubs to two hits, both singles aside from Crow-Armstrong’s homer. Arrighetti’s start was the fourth time in the last five games a Houston pitcher allowed one earned run or fewer. Projection Interstat’s game simulator projects a 3-2 Astros victory. The game will be the second of four between the teams this weekend, with the series concluding Sunday. Both clubs have Monday off before starting road trips.