CHICAGO (Interstat) — Edward Cabrera dominated over six shutout innings and the Chicago Cubs’ offense erupted early, cruising to a 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday afternoon at a sun-splashed Wrigley Field.

A crowd of 36,702 watched the Cubs even their record at 2-2 while the Angels fell to 2-3, dropping their third straight contest.

The most important part of the game was the Cubs’ immediate and sustained offensive pressure, which built an insurmountable lead before the Angels could muster any response. Chicago scored three runs in the first inning and three more in the third, effectively deciding the contest in the opening frames against Angels starter Ryan Johnson.

Cabrera, the Cubs’ top star, was the story. He stifled the Angels’ lineup, allowing just one hit — a fourth-inning single to Nolan Schanuel — while walking one and striking out five. He faced the minimum through five innings, aided by a double play, and never allowed an Angel to reach second base. His performance earned him his first win of the season.

Johnson, the losing pitcher, struggled with his command from the outset for Los Angeles. He loaded the bases in the first inning on two walks and a hit batter before Nico Hoerner’s sacrifice fly brought in Michael Busch. Carson Kelly then delivered the key blow, a two-run single to right field that scored Ian Happ and Pete Crow-Armstrong.

The Cubs broke it open in the third. Happ led off the inning by launching his third home run of the season, a solo shot to left-center. After Crow-Armstrong singled and Hoerner doubled, Moisés Ballesteros drove both runners home with a two-out single to right, pushing the Chicago lead to 6-0.

The Angels’ bats, quieted by Cabrera, finally showed life in the seventh against Cubs reliever Colin Rea. With two outs and a runner on first via a Jorge Soler single, Yoán Moncada connected for his first homer of the year, a two-run drive to right field that broke up the shutout.

Chicago answered immediately in the bottom of the seventh to restore the five-run cushion. Hoerner walked, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on a sharp RBI single by Dansby Swanson.

Rea settled in after the Moncada homer to record a three-inning save, his first of the season. He allowed four hits and struck out four over his final three frames of work.

For the Cubs, the offense was a collective effort. Kelly and Ballesteros each drove in two runs, while Happ, Hoerner and Swanson each had an RBI. Swanson and Hoerner each collected two of Chicago’s nine hits.

The Angels managed only five hits total. Moncada’s homer accounted for both runs and RBIs. Schanuel had two of the team’s hits.

Angels relievers Shaun Anderson and Joey Lucchesi provided effective work in quieting the Cubs’ offense after the early damage. Anderson allowed one run on one hit over three innings of work, while Lucchesi tossed 1 2/3 scoreless frames.

The game lasted 2 hours, 26 minutes. The Cubs were installed as pregame favorites and covered the -1.5 spread, while the total of nine runs went over the projected over/under line of 9.5.

The Angels continue their three-game series in Chicago on Tuesday, looking to snap their skid. The Cubs will aim for a series win before embarking on a lengthy road trip.