CHICAGO (Interstat) — Nick Allen went 3 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs and Christian Walker belted a three-run homer as the Houston Astros defeated the Chicago Cubs 8-5 on Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field before a crowd of 40,048.

Allen, starting at third base and later moving to second, also scored twice and was hit by a pitch. Walker finished 1 for 4 with three RBIs and a walk. Jake Meyers added a solo home run for Houston, which snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 23-31. The Cubs fell to 29-24.

Houston broke open a tight game with a five-run fifth inning, erasing a 3-1 deficit and seizing control. Cam Smith led off the inning with a double and Zach Dezenzo walked. After a bunt popout, Allen was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Brice Matthews popped out on the infield fly rule, but Jeremy Peña followed with a two-run single to left-center, scoring Smith and Dezenzo to tie the game. Walker then launched a 1-0 pitch over the left-center wall for his 14th home run, scoring Allen and Peña and giving the Astros a 6-3 lead.

Houston added an insurance run in the ninth on an RBI single by Allen, who drove in Smith after Smith had walked and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and a groundout. Cubs closer Nate Pearson worked a 1-2-3 ninth to notch his first save of the season. Pearson faced four batters, giving up no hits and no earned runs in one inning.

The Cubs struck first, scoring three times in the second inning against Houston starter Peter Lambert. Moisés Ballesteros walked to open the frame, and Carson Kelly singled him to third. Pedro Ramírez doubled off the glove of center fielder Jake Meyers, scoring Ballesteros. Pete Crow-Armstrong followed with a sacrifice fly, plating Kelly. Nico Hoerner then singled to right field, scoring Ramírez for a 3-0 Cubs lead. Lambert limited further damage by striking out Michael Conforto with the bases loaded.

Houston got a run back in the top of the third when Allen led off with his first home run of the season, a solo shot to left field off Cubs starter Shota Imanaga. The Astros cut the deficit to 3-2 when Meyers led off the second inning with a homer, his second of the year, also to left.

Imanaga settled down after the third, but the Astros chased him in the fifth. The left-hander allowed six runs on five hits over 4 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out four. He fell to 4-5 on the season. Lambert worked five innings for the win, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out five and walking three. He improved to 3-4.

The Cubs threatened in the seventh against reliever AJ Blubaugh. Crow-Armstrong walked and Hoerner flied out before Michael Busch blasted a two-run homer to left-center, his fifth of the season, pulling Chicago within 6-5. But Blubaugh and the Astros bullpen held. Bryan Abreu tossed a scoreless sixth, allowing one hit. Blubaugh gave up two runs on one hit in two innings. Nate Pearson closed the door in the ninth.

Houston’s victory completed a three-game sweep of the Cubs, following wins of 3-0 on Saturday and 4-2 on Friday. The Astros outscored Chicago 15-7 in the series.

Cubs first baseman Michael Busch went 2 for 4 with a two-run homer and two RBIs. Nico Hoerner singled and drove in a run, and Pedro Ramírez doubled and scored. Cubs relievers Ethan Roberts and Phil Maton each tossed a scoreless inning, but the offense could not overcome the five-run Houston fifth.

The game saw defensive plays from both sides. Cubs shortstop Nico Hoerner turned a double play in the seventh to erase a Nick Allen single. Houston shortstop Jeremy Peña started a double play in the fourth to escape a jam. Astros second baseman Brice Matthews made a solid play on a popup in the fifth.

Houston will travel to Texas for a four-game series against the Rangers starting Monday. The Cubs head to Pittsburgh for a four-game set against the Pirates.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Houston Astros 4, Chicago Cubs 2. Interstat’s ELO system had projected the Chicago Cubs with a 61.60 percent probability to win. The Cubs had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 13 went under the over/under line of 7.5.