Dansby Swanson homers as the short

CHICAGO (AP) — Dansby Swanson hit a three-run homer during Chicago’s four-run first inning and the short-handed Cubs beat the Houston Astros 4-3 on Wednesday night.

Playing without Cody Bellinger, Chicago used Swanson’s big swing and a solid start by Jameson Taillon to earn its second straight win. It will try to sweep the three-game set against the struggling Astros on Thursday.

Taillon (2-0) allowed two runs, one earned, and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings on a chilly evening at Wrigley Field. The right-hander struck out four and walked two in his second start since he began the season on the injured list with a back strain.

“Before that back injury, I just really liked where we were at,” Taillon said, “and I feel like we were able to use that downtime as like, let’s stay on the straight and narrow, stay on the right path.”

Houston lost for the seventh time in eight games. It has scored a total of 21 runs during the slide.