CHICAGO (Interstat) — The Chicago Cubs continued their recent dominance over the struggling Philadelphia Phillies, methodically pulling away for a 7-2 victory Wednesday at a sun-splashed Wrigley Field.

A crowd of 29,591 watched the Cubs win their third straight in this four-game series and improve to 15-9, while the Phillies dropped their fourth consecutive game to fall to 8-16, the worst record in the National League.

The most important sequence of the game arrived in the bottom of the fifth inning, effectively extinguishing Philadelphia’s hopes. Leading 4-2, the Cubs saw Alex Bregman lead off with a single. After Ian Happ forced Bregman at second, Seiya Suzuki stepped in against Phillies reliever Alan Rangel. On a 1-1 count, Suzuki launched a towering two-run homer to straightaway center field, extending the Cubs’ lead to 6-2. The blast provided critical breathing room and underscored a recurring theme of the series: the Cubs’ lineup delivering timely, powerful hits while the Phillies’ offense sputtered.

The Cubs set the tone early against Phillies starter Taijuan Walker, who took the loss to fall to 1-4. Nico Hoerner and Bregman opened the home first with back-to-back singles. Happ then grounded into a forceout, but it was enough to plate Hoerner and give Chicago a 1-0 lead.

Philadelphia responded briefly in the second against Cubs starter Matthew Boyd. Felix Reyes and Alec Bohm singled, and Edmundo Sosa drove a double down the left-field line to tie the game. Justin Crawford’s groundout brought Bohm home, giving the Phillies a short-lived 2-1 advantage.

The Cubs answered immediately in their half of the second, capitalizing on a defensive miscue. Miguel Amaya reached on an error by Crawford in center field and scored on a sharp RBI double from Pete Crow-Armstrong, knotting the game at 2.

Chicago then seized control for good in the third. Bregman led off with a triple to center, a call upheld after a replay review. Happ followed with an RBI single to left. After Suzuki grounded into a double play, Michael Busch provided the inning’s exclamation point, crushing a solo home run to left-center to make it 4-2.

Boyd, named the game’s top star, earned the win to move to 1-0. He worked 4 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out five. The Cubs’ bullpen was stellar in relief. Ben Brown followed with 2 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out five. Hoby Milner and Corbin Martin each contributed a perfect inning of relief to seal the win.

Suzuki finished 2 for 4 with the pivotal two-run homer. Crow-Armstrong continued his strong series, going 3 for 4 with two RBIs, including a run-scoring single in the eighth to cap the scoring. Bregman was a constant presence on the bases, collecting three hits and scoring twice. Busch added two hits, including his homer.

For the Phillies, who managed nine hits but went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position, Sosa provided a bright spot, going 2 for 2 with an RBI before being replaced. Bohm also had two hits. Walker lasted just four innings, surrendering four runs on eight hits. Rangel was solid in relief, striking out five over three innings, but was tagged for Suzuki’s decisive homer.

The game unfolded largely as predicted by Interstat’s game simulator, which projected a 7-2 Cubs victory. Chicago entered as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5, and the total score of nine runs went under the over/under line of 8. The Cubs’ probability of winning was pegged at 56% by the ELO system.

The victory extended Chicago’s winning streak over Philadelphia to five games, dating back to a series in Philadelphia earlier this month. The Phillies have now lost 10 of their last 12 games overall.

The teams conclude their four-game series Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field. The Phillies will then travel to Atlanta for a three-game set starting Friday, hoping to reverse their fortunes. The Cubs embark on a challenging West Coast trip, opening a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.