CHICAGO (AP) — Vinnie Pasquantino hit two of Kansas City’s four two-run homers and doubled on a 3-for-4 afternoon, leading the Royals past the Chicago Cubs 8-4 on Wednesday.
Salvador Perez and rookie Tyler Tolbert also went deep as the Royals took two of three games from the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Tolbert’s homer was his first in the majors.
Matt Shaw and Pete Crow-Armstrong hit solo shots for Chicago, which entered tied with Milwaukee for first place in the NL Central and the best record in the majors.
Pasquantino’s pair of 400-foot-plus drives gave him two multi-homer games this season, three for his career and upped his season total to 17. He entered with just one hit in his previous 16 at-bats.
Seth Lugo (7-5) tossed six innings, allowing two runs on four hits. The right-hander stuck out six and walked two before three relievers wrapped up the win.
The 35-year-old Perez has five homers in his last five games and cracked three in the series to give him a team leading 18.
Chicago’s Colin Rea (8-4) was tagged with six runs, five earned, on six hits in five innings, ending his four-start winning streak.
Key moment
Pasquantino drove his second homer off Rea’s full-count down-the-middle curve in the fifth to up the Royals lead to 6-2. Tolbert put it out of reach in the sixth, making it 8-2 with a drive off reliever Drew Pomeranz.
Tolbert left the game in the bottom of the eighth with muscle cramping.
Key stat
Rea had allowed only five runs over 23 2/3 innings in his four previous starts for an ERA of 1.90.
Up next
Royals RHP Michael Wacha (4-9, 3.62 ERA) faces Guardians RHP Gavin Williams (6-4, 3.54) on Friday in Kansas City.
Cubs LHP Shota Imanaga (7-3, 2.40) starts Friday at Rate Field against the White Sox, who send RHP Adrian Houser (5-2, 1.89) to the mound.
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