Crow-Armstrong homers twice as Cubs top Twins 8-1 to deny

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)– Pete Crow-Armstrong hit 2 crowning achievement for his 5th multi-homer game this season, powering the Chicago Cubs past the Minnesota Twins 8-1 on Thursday.Crow-Armstrong, whose first-half breakout earned him a starting spot for the National League Dream team, went 3 for 4 with three runs and 3 RBIs to assist the Cubs avoid a three-game sweep. Colin Rea (7-3 )won his third straight start with a three-hitter over a season-high seven innings, and Minnesota native Michael Busch added 2 RBIs.Advertisement Rea permitted only a fifth-inning crowning achievement by Kody Clemens,

as the 35-year-old right-hander kipped down his longest start since 7 nothing innings for Milwaukee last Aug. 18. Dansby Swanson doubled and scored on Nico Hoerner’s single in the second inning to offer the

Cubs their very first lead of the series, and they kept hacking for all five innings against Twins starter Chris Paddack (3-8). Paddack, who thinks about Rea a mentor dating to their time together with San Diego for his guidance on healing from Tommy John elbow

surgery, quit 11 hits and six runs. He is 1-5 in his last 10 starts, with the Twins winning three.Key minute Advertisement Crow-Armstrong struck a two-out, two-run homer in the 3rd inning, a 414-foot blast that was a couple of inches too high for center fielder Harrison Bader to capture as he jumped at the wall.Key stat Crow-Armstrong led off the seventh against Anthony Misiewicz with a solo shot to tie teammate Seiya Suzuki for sixth in MLB with 25 homers.Up next The Cubs travel to New York for a three-game series against the

Yankees beginning Friday. Neither group had actually announced their starter.The Twins host Pittsburgh for a three-game series starting Friday, when RH Paul Skenes(4-7, 1.94 ERA )takes the mound for the Pirates opposite RH Joe Ryan(8-4, 2.76 ERA)in a match of All-Star starting pitchers. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB