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SAN FRANCISCO — \u2014 Michael Busch<\/a> hit a three-run homer into McCovey Cove beyond right field in the fifth inning to back Javier Assad<\/a>‘s strong start on the mound, and the Chicago Cubs<\/a> beat the San Francisco Giants<\/a> 5-1 on Friday night.<\/p>\n Busch’s drive was the 176th splash hit at Oracle Park, 68th by an opponent and fourth by a Cubs player \u2014 first since Joc Pederson<\/a> on June 3, 2021.<\/p>\n Seiya Suzuki<\/a> broke up a scoreless game with an RBI double in the fourth then scored moments later on Nico Hoerner<\/a>‘s sacrifice fly. <\/p>\n Assad (4-1) struck out five, walked one and allowed three hits over six innings to win his third straight decision spanning seven starts. His throwing error on a pickoff attempt of Bryce Eldridge<\/a> in the fourth could have been costly but the right-hander stranded Eldridge on third.<\/p>\n Hoby Milner<\/a> pitched the seventh and Trent Thornton<\/a> the final two innings, surrendering Eldridge’s one-out homer in the ninth. <\/p>\n Busch greeted reliever Erik Miller<\/a> with his eighth home run after Chicago put runners aboard on Pete Crow-Armstrong<\/a>‘s double and a leadoff walk by Carson Kelly<\/a> against Giants starter Landen Roupp<\/a> (5-7). Roupp was tagged for four runs on four hits over 4 2\/3 innings.<\/p>\n Chicago won for the third time in its last seven games.<\/p>\n San Francisco had beaten the Cubs 18-3 last Friday then 2-1 in extra innings Sunday \u2014 but the Giants dropped to 7-3 overall in the matchups since the start of the 2025 season, outscoring the Cubs 63-35. San Francisco is 6-2 at Oracle Park in the series dating to the beginning of 2024.<\/p>\n Jung Hoo Lee<\/a> went 0 for 3 and had his career-best 18-game hitting streak snapped \u2014 longest by a Giants batter since Angel Pagan hit in 19 in a row from July 31-Aug. 23, 2016.<\/p>\n RHP Ben Brown<\/a> (2-2, 1.74 ERA) pitches the middle game for Chicago opposite Giants RHP Trevor McDonald<\/a> (2-3, 4.15), making his second straight start against the Cubs. <\/p>\n ——<\/p>\n