Conforto, Villar go back-to-back, Matos hits tiebreaking blast as Giants beat Cubs 4-3

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Michael Conforto and David Villar hit back-to-back home runs in the second inning, Luis Matos hit a tiebreaking solo shot in the fifth and the San Francisco Giants beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 on Wednesday night.

Seiya Suzuki homered for Chicago, which lost its fourth in a row and fell to 3-13 in its last 16 road games.

Giants starter Hayden Birdsong was called up from Triple-A Sacramento for his major league debut, and allowed three runs and six hits with five strikeouts and three walks in 4 2/3 innings.

“Super exciting, obviously,” the 22-year-old Birdsong said. “My brain doesn’t really know if it’s excitement or nervousness, but we’re just ‘go with the flow and try to throw strikes and see what happens.’ It’s all I was thinking.”

Luke Jackson (4-1) followed with 1 1/3 scoreless innings for his fourth straight win and Camilo Doval pitched the ninth for his 14th save in 16 chances.

Hayden Wesneski, making his first start since May 8 for Chicago, permitted three runs on two hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in four innings.

Pete Crow-Armstrong gave the Cubs an early lead with an RBI single in the second.

Conforto responded with a two-run homer in the bottom half. Villar followed with his first homer since June 19, 2023.

The Giants got home runs from their No. 7, 8 and 9 hitters.

“All of those guys have power,” manager Bob Melvin said. “We spoke earlier in the year about a deep lineup and feeling like you have a chance to score (any) inning, especially with the power at the bottom.”

Miguel Amaya trimmed the Giants’ lead to 3-2 with an RBI single in the fourth, scoring Crow-Armstrong all the way from first.

Suzuki tied it in the fifth with his ninth home run of the season.

Matos took Drew Smyly (2-5) deep in the bottom half to put San Francisco back in front.

“It feels good to hit a home run,” Matos said through a translator. “I went in there and I was looking for something to hit. He threw me a sinker. I let it go. But then he threw me the curveball and that’s what I hit.”

Chicago put runners on first and second with two outs in the eighth inning, but Tyler Rogers picked off Ian Happ trying to steal third.

“It’s a risk,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “We’re trying to get two guys in scoring position, and it just didn’t work. But base stealing is a risk. We took a risk. It didn’t work."

Chicago stranded seven runners and made three outs on the bases.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: LHP Jordan Wicks (strained right oblique) is in the early stages of his recovery and won’t return before the All-Star break, according to Counsell.

Giants: LHP Robbie Ray will continue his recovery from Tommy John surgery with a rehab start at Single-A San Jose on Friday. He pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings for Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday after making four appearances in the Arizona Rookie League. “Robbie’s still on a pretty good pace (to return) right around that All-Star break (or) right after,” Melvin said. ... LHP Blake Snell (strained left groin) will make his second rehab start for Triple-A Sacramento on Friday. ... RHP Mason Black was optioned to Triple-A and LHP Raymond Burgos was designated for assignment.

UP NEXT

Cubs LHP Shota Imanaga (7-2, 2.96 ERA) will start Thursday opposite Giants RHP Jordan Hicks (4-4, 3.24).

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Chicago Cubs' Seiya Suzuki sits in the dugout during the seventh inning of the team's baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

San Francisco Giants center fielder Heliot Ramos, second from left, and second baseman Thairo Estrada (39) celebrate after the team's victory over the Chicago Cubs in a baseball game Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Chicago Cubs' Christopher Morel reacts after being picked off at first base on a throw by San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey during the sixth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Chicago Cubs' Seiya Suzuki (27) celebrates with Ian Happ (8) after hitting a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants during the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

San Francisco Giants pitcher Camilo Doval clenches his first after the team's victory over the Chicago Cubs in a baseball game Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

San Francisco Giants pitcher Camilo Doval throws to a Chicago Cubs batter during the ninth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

San Francisco Giants' Luis Matos celebrates his solo home run against the Chicago Cubs during the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

San Francisco Giants' Luis Matos, right, celebrates with third base coach Matt Williams after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago Cubs during the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — The wind at Newport Country Club hasn’t been able to slow down Hiroyuki Fujita in the U.S. Senior Open.

Maybe the rain will stop him.

The Japanese Tour veteran shot a 3-under 67 on Saturday to improve to 14 under in pursuit of a wire-to-wire win and his first victory on American soil. He’ll have to withstand thunderstorms forecast for the final round as well as a charge from 2019 champion Steve Stricker, who made back-to-back birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 to shoot his third straight 66 and cut a four-stroke deficit in half.

“The conditions are supposed to be pretty bad, from what I hear, tomorrow,” Fujita said. “I don’t have a lot of distance on my club, so I’m definitely going to be in some tough spots. I’m just going to focus on the fact that I’m playing on the last day in the last group and focus on the fact that I’m lucky to be here.”

Richard Green shot 69 to sit at minus-11, with Richard Bland (69) at 9 under and Bob Estes (66) at 8 under.

Players teed off early and in threesomes from both nines on Saturday in an attempt to finish before the fog rolled in on the 7,024-yard, par-70 course on the mouth of Narragansett Bay. Tee times were moved up again for the final round on Sunday, when rain and lightning were forecast for the afternoon.

“This place is meant to be kind of firm and fast and kind of linksy in feel. If it stayed this way, a little breezy, and firmed up a little bit, it would be a really tough test tomorrow,” 2021 winner Jim Furyk said.

“If it rains quite a bit, I think you’ll see some guys who are able to score, where it’s easier to keep it on the fairway, easier to get the balls on the greens, and maybe a little less difficult,” he said. “If it’s wet, if it rains, someone will go out there and fire it.”

Fujita, who had never broken 70 on the 50-and-over tour, did it for the third day in a row while posting the only bogey-free round on Saturday. He has just one bogey in the first 54 holes and has missed just one fairway in the tournament.

“He didn’t really miss a shot all the way around. He’s very consistent,” said Stricker, who was the tournament’s runner-up in each of the last two years. “We’re going to have to go out and have a good round to try to catch him. It looks like he’s in control of what’s going on with his game and emotion.”

Fujita had three birdies on the front on Saturday to open a big lead at 14 under before making nine straight pars on the back nine.

“He just didn’t make any mistakes,” Green said. “If he plays like that tomorrow, it’s going to take a good round from the guys coming from behind to catch him. You never know in the pressure of a U.S. Open at the end of the week what might happen. But I’ll just play my game and see where it ends up.”

Stricker fell four strokes back with a bogey on the par-3 13th but then got the stroke back on No. 16. He drained a 40-foot putt on the 17th right before Fujita missed his birdie putt from about 12 feet.

Stricker, who was second by two strokes to Padraig Harrington in 2022 and one shot behind Bernhard Langer last year, has posted a 33 on all six nine-hole sides of the tournament.

“You’ve got Greenie, obviously, who’s playing great at the minute. Steve Stricker’s been there, done it," Bland said. "I don’t know too much about the guy that’s in front, but he’s pretty much had the lead all week.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

The clubhouse at the Newport Country Club is visible Friday, June 28, 2024, behind a sign for the U.S. Senior Open which is being played June 27-30 in Newport, R.I. (AP Photo/Jimmy Golen)