CHICAGO — Ian Happ homered and Moisés Ballesteros hit a tiebreaking triple, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the slumping Tampa Bay Rays 6-4 on Friday.

Happ finished with three hits and two RBIs as Chicago posted its third consecutive victory. Nico Hoerner had two hits and scored twice for the NL wild-card leaders.

Matthew Boyd (13-8) pitched five innings and allowed four runs in his first win since Aug. 19. The All-Star left-hander is 2-4 with a 5.31 ERA in his last seven starts.

Christopher Morel hit a three-run homer for Tampa Bay in his first game against his former team. Morel was acquired in a July 2024 trade with the Cubs.

The Rays lost for the sixth time in seven games.

Happ capped Chicago's three-run second with a tying single off Shane Baz (9-12), and the Cubs added two more

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