Happ-y 4th! Big day (2 HRs, 6 RBIs) carries Cubs

CHICAGO -- Ian Happ squared around to bunt on the first pitch of his fourth-inning plate appearance against Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez on Thursday afternoon. The Cubs’ struggling offense had runners on first and second with no outs, and Happ could have gotten them 90 feet closer to scoring.

Happ pushed the bunt foul -- and good thing, too.

Four pitches later, he launched a three-run homer to left field, jump-starting his big Fourth of July performance at Wrigley Field. Happ went 4-for-4 with two homers and a career-high six RBIs in the Cubs’ 10-2 win over the Phillies.

The switch-hitting Happ, who also launched a three-run homer in the fifth inning, homered from both sides of the plate. It marked the second time he’s pulled off the feat (also May 7, 2018, against the Marlins) and the first time a Cub has done so since Victor Caratini on July 3, 2019, against the Pirates.

“We’ve been looking for one of these for a while now,” Happ said. “Where we can go out there, everybody contributes and make it easy on the bullpen.”

The big offensive output backed a strong outing from starter Jameson Taillon, who allowed two runs on four hits and struck out seven in seven innings.

The Cubs have played the most one-run games (33) in the Majors this season, but their .424 winning percentage (14-19) in those contests ranks 25th. An offense that has collectively struggled for more than two months, particularly with runners in scoring in position, has been the biggest culprit.

Thursday marked the first time the Cubs scored double-digit runs since a 12-11 walk-off loss to the D-backs on April 16. And it all started with Happ.

“Ian had some huge swings,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “We got men on base in front of him for those swings. Two three-run homers puts a smile on everybody's face, for sure.”

Cody Bellinger led off the fourth with a walk, and Seiya Suzuki followed with a single to set up Happ’s matchup with Sánchez -- the reigning NL Pitcher of the Month. Happ, hitting from the right side, hit Sánchez’s 3-1 sinker a Statcast-projected 381 feet to the left-field bleachers. It had a 112 mph exit velocity.

The Cubs chased Sánchez in the fifth after Bellinger and Suzuki singled to lead off the inning. The Phillies called on veteran right-hander Seranthony Domínguez, which turned Happ around to the left side of the plate.

Happ turned on a 2-2 slider on the inner half from Domínguez, hitting it a projected 414 feet with a 108.8 mph exit velocity to right field for his second homer of the day. Happ is the Cubs' seventh switch-hitter since 1876 to homer from each side of the plate in the same game, according to team historian Ed Hartig.

“It’s pretty cool,” Happ said. “To get an opportunity to do it in a game and to do it is pretty special. You don't think about it in the moment. But after I reflect a little bit, that's a cool one for me.”

Counsell was pleased with the Cubs’ offense continuing to tack on. After Happ’s homer in the fourth, Dansby Swanson walked, David Bote doubled, Tomás Nido hit an RBI groundout and Nico Hoerner hit an RBI single. The Cubs’ five-run fourth inning was only the eighth time this season they scored five or more runs in an inning. Half of those eight came in the opening month of the season.

As the Cubs’ season has spiraled during their extended rough patch -- they’re 12-26 since May 21 -- they too often have left themselves with no margin for error with low-scoring outputs.

Happ’s second homer gave them an 8-2 lead and some breathing room.

“We haven't had one of those in a little while, where you just jump out to a nice big lead and kind of get to coast,” Taillon said. “Not every at-bat has a ton of pressure behind it. Not every pitch has a ton of pressure behind it. So that feels good. You have to come back and do it again.”

The last part is the biggest key with the July 30 Trade Deadline looming as the Cubs try to fight their way back to .500 and stay in the thick of the NL postseason race.

“It’s a nice win,” Taillon said. “Good teams do it often and come back tomorrow and play another good game, and then you start stacking good days. These days feel really good. Everyone should feel good about it tonight, and then you just wake up and come to the park, and it's like everyone's got a job to do again.

“Hopefully, we can start making that kind of a more consistent thing.”