SEATTLE (AP) — Ian Happ and Pedro Ramírez each hit grand slams and had five RBIs, Pete Crow-Armstrong also homered and the Chicago Cubs blew out the Seattle Mariners 19-2 on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep.
Michael Conforto hit Chicago's other homer, getting his 11th of the season on a leadoff shot in the third that Happ highlighted with his two-out, two-strike shot with the bases loaded.
happ homer... but make it GRAND. pic.twitter.com/f3h4ETUxRq
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 23, 2026
Mariners starter Bryce Miller (4-8) issued three straight two-out walks before facing Happ. The Seattle right-hander got ahead in the count 1-2, but Happ kept his hands tucked on a down-and-in splitter to blast it off the right-field foul pole for his 22nd home run of the season.
Seattle (62-69) remained three games behind Houston in the AL West and fell three games back for the final wild-card spot. The Cubs (75-56) preserved a 4 1/2 -game lead in the NL wild card.
Miller also walked the bases loaded in the fifth, an inning in which Chicago scored on a fielder’s choice by Alex Bregman. Miller issued a career-high seven walks in the game.
Ramírez hit a grand slam in the eighth off Jhonny Pereda, Seattle’s backup catcher. Crow-Armstrong hit his team-leading 33rd home run of the season earlier in the inning.
Aaron Civale (6-7) threw four scoreless innings in relief of Chicago starter Shota Imanaga, who was pulled in the third.
Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena, who hit a walk-off home run during Saturday’s 5-4 win, smacked a leadoff home run for the second straight day. Arozarena became the 11th player in major-league history with at least six seasons with both 20 or more home runs and 20 or more stolen bases.
Seattle utilityman Brendan Donovan was placed on the seven-day concussion injured list on Sunday, a day after he was hit in the head by a baseball in the batting cages.
Up next
Mariners RHP Logan Gilbert (10-7, 3.35 ERA) will start opposite Phillies RHP Zack Wheeler (10-4, 2.92) on Monday as Seattle opens a three-game series against Philadelphia. RHP Kevin Gausman (6-11, 4.58) gets the nod for the Cubs against the Diamondbacks’ Merrill Kelly (8-11, 5.37) on Monday in Arizona.
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