Cubs brush off loss to Reds

(TSX / STATS) -- CINCINNATI -- The Thursday night loss was a tough one to swallow for the Chicago Cubs, but they maintained the usual positive spin.

"We're the team in first place," Chicago starter Jake Arrieta said. "We won five in a row, lost a tough one tonight. We go into Philly still feeling pretty good about where we're at."

The Cubs led by a run through seven innings, but Jose Peraza drove in the tying and go-ahead runs with a pinch-hit, bases-loaded double in the eighth, lifting the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-2 victory at Great American Ball Park.

The Reds avoided a sweep in the three-game series.

With two outs in the eighth and Pedro Strop (3-4) on the mound for the Cubs, Eugenio Suarez was intentionally walked to load the bases. Peraza crushed a ball to center that eluded Ian Happ and bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double, driving in two runs to put Cincinnati ahead.

"He's a really good pitcher with a good fastball," Peraza said of Strop. "I worked in the cage getting ready for an at-bat. Just trying to see the ball and get a good swing."

Rather than double-switch for a more adept center fielder in Albert Almora Jr., Cubs manager Joe Maddon chose to keep Happ in center. Replays indicated that Peraza's drive would have been a tough catch for anyone.

"It would have been a tremendous play," Maddon said. "Two outs and nobody on, and (Strop is) throwing the ball great. That was the last thing we saw coming."

Suarez later scored on Strop's wild pitch to give the Reds a two-run cushion.

Raisel Iglesias blanked the Cubs in the ninth for his 24th save.

Michael Lorenzen (8-2) struck out three in a scoreless top of the eighth to earn the victory. Lorenzen was hit hard in two of his previous three outings.

"Good to see him back out there being the vintage Lorenzen," Reds manager Bryan Price said.

Happ homered for Chicago (68-58), which had its five-game winning streak snapped. The Cubs lead the second-place Milwaukee Brewers by three games in the National League Central heading into a three-game weekend series against the Phillies.

"We still won the series, we've won five of six," Maddon said. "We did a lot of good things again tonight and they got us at the end."

With two outs in the sixth, the Reds chose to intentionally walk Happ after Reds starter Sal Romano fell behind three balls and no strikes. However, Javier Baez came through with a sharp single to left, driving home Kris Bryant to put Chicago ahead 2-1.

Cincinnati (54-74) nearly tied the score in the bottom of the sixth when Zack Cozart singled and sprinted toward home on Joey Votto's double. A perfect relay from Baez nabbed Cozart at home for the first out of the inning.

Romano retired the Cubs in order on only nine pitches in the first inning.

With one out in the second, Happ launched Romano's first pitch into the right field seats, putting the Cubs ahead 1-0. Happ, a University of Cincinnati product, has 19 home runs in 83 games during his rookie season.

Romano yielded two runs, six hits and three walks while striking out seven in seven innings. The bullpen then helped set up a much-needed victory for Cincinnati.

"He was on the attack," Price said of Romano. "He was very aggressive in the zone. He got clipped for a solo homer but was really good after that. Had a nice feel for the changeup and breaking ball."

Arrieta struck out the first four batters he faced and had six through three innings.

There were a couple hard-hit balls in the span. Bryant made a diving catch on Suarez's line drive to end the second inning. Jesse Winker's drive to left field in the third pushed Kyle Schwarber back to the wall.

Arrieta's no-hit bid lasted until the fourth when Votto's one-out RBI single drove home Zack Cozart, who reached second on Bryant's error at third base. The hit tied the score 1-1.

Arrieta allowed one run (unearned), four hits and three walks while striking out eight in 5 2/3 innings.

"Jake was really good tonight," Maddon said. "Stropie was perfect until it all fell apart."

NOTES: Cubs LHP Jon Lester remains on schedule to throw a bullpen session Friday in Philadelphia. He has been on the disabled list with lat tightness and shoulder fatigue. ... Cubs 3B Kris Bryant returned to the lineup after missing the Wednesday game. He was hit on the left hand by a pitch in the ninth inning Tuesday. On Thursday, Bryant went 1-for-3 with a walk and a double. ... Reds C Stuart Turner is expected to go on the paternity list Friday when his wife is scheduled to be induced. ... Reds 1B Joey Votto has reached base in 28 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the major leagues.

Holland pitches White Sox to victory over Twins

(TSX / STATS) -- CHICAGO -- Even when he was off his game, Chicago White Sox left-hander Derek Holland knew he wasn't that far away from where he wanted to be.

Despite his struggles, Holland attempted to remain positive, believing that if he kept chipping away, everything would come together at some point.

On Thursday night against the Minnesota Twins, everything finally clicked.

Holland allowed just one run over six innings, and the White Sox gave him with plenty of offensive support in a 5-1 victory over the Twins.

"I didn't let (the struggles) affect me -- obviously, I was frustrated, but the main thing was, I kept plugging away," said Holland, who allowed three hits, walked four and struck out five. "It can be a lonely place when you're struggling like that, but the main thing is you've got to stay positive no matter what."

Yolmer Sanchez homered and Kevan Smith had an RBI double for the White Sox, who also capitalized on some sloppy play by the Twins to build their lead and finish off the five-game series with back-to-back victories.

Chicago took three of five against Minnesota.

Holland (7-13) won for just the second time in his past 13 outings. He surrendered Minnesota's lone run on a Byron Buxton home run in the sixth inning.

The Twins put runners on second and third with one out in the ninth inning, but Juan Minaya pitched out of trouble to preserve the victory as the White Sox.

Minnesota heads to Toronto attempting to get things back on track after dropping the series to the last-place White Sox.

"Just not enough offense the last couple of nights," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "They outplayed us, we made mistakes, and they took advantage and we just couldn't get back in the game."

Jose Berrios (11-6) took the loss after allowing five runs (three earned) over 5 1/3 innings. Berrios struck out nine and walked three while giving up only four hits. He was let down more than once by Minnesota's defense.

Sanchez gave Chicago a 1-0 lead with two outs in the second inning when he hit a solo shot for his seventh home run of the season.

The White Sox took advantage of two Twins errors to score three runs in the fourth inning and build a 4-0 lead.

After Yoan Moncada walked and stole second, the rookie second baseman scored when Nicky Delmonico reached on an error by first baseman Mitch Garver.

Smith and Sanchez followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases before Tim Anderson drove in Delmonico with a fielder's choice grounder. Smith scored on Berrios' wild pick-off attempt.

"Hopefully, there's a little lesson learned here -- you've got to have that intensity from the first inning," Molitor said. "We have to come out ready to play from the get-go."

The White Sox did just that, and once they built up the lead, Holland took over and finally put together the kind of start he has been looking for in a season full of frustrating disappointments.

The Thursday game marked the kind of turnaround Holland -- and the White Sox -- have been waiting for from the veteran lefty.

"He did a nice job keeping us in the ballgame," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "He gave up a solo homer, but other than that, he had three walks, struck out two or three, induced a few double plays. Honestly, he seemed pretty much in control the whole ballgame, even though he worked in a little bit of traffic, got out of it. He looked a lot more comfortable out there today."

NOTES: Chicago RF Leury Garcia left the game in the third inning due to back stiffness. He is considered day-to-day. ... White Sox 2B Yoan Moncada exited the game with shin splints in his right leg, an ailment Moncada told reporters Wednesday he expected to linger the rest of the season. ... Twins C Jason Castro was placed on the seven-day disabled list with a concussion after being hit by several foul balls on his catcher's mask Wednesday. Manager Paul Molitor said backup Chris Gimenez and rookie Mitch Garver would split the catching duties until Castro returns. OF Zack Granite was called from Triple-A Rochester to fill the roster spot. ... White Sox RF Avisail Garcia missed Thursday's game after his wife gave birth to their second child earlier in the day. Manager Rick Renteria said Garcia should be available to play o

Cubs beat Reds for fifth straight win

(TSX / STATS) -- CINCINNATI -- Chicago Cubs left-hander Mike Montgomery believes his future in the major leagues is as a starting pitcher. Manager Joe Maddon agrees. On Wednesday night, Montgomery did nothing to dispel that notion.

Kyle Schwarber hit a three-run home run, Tommy La Stella added a two-run shot, and Montgomery allowed four hits through six innings, lifting the Chicago Cubs to their fifth straight win, a 9-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.

Montgomery (4-6), who moved into the rotation when Jon Lester went on the disabled list, is considered a candidate to be in the starting rotation for the Cubs in 2018. For now, he is content with his role as a spot starter and reliever.

"Since day one I came over here, they've been telling me I'm a starter," Montgomery said. "I think I am as well. Whatever is best for the team, that's the mentality I've taken. That's how I've been able to transition back and forth."

On Wednesday, Montgomery issued one walk and struck out four. He retired 10 of the final 11 batters. His 89 pitches were the second-most he has thrown this season.

"He's a ground-ball machine," Maddon said. "Fastball command. When he gets ahead in the count, he can force hitters to put the ball in play. I'm not surprised by this at all. He's very capable."

Chicago (68-57) moved to a season-high 11 games over the .500 mark and now owns a season-high 3 1/2-game lead over second-place Milwaukee in the National League Central.

The Cubs played without third baseman Kris Bryant, who was hit on the hand by a pitch during the ninth inning on Tuesday night. But La Stella took over for Bryant at third base and went 1-for-2 with a homer, two RBIs and a walk. He reached base four times.

Cincinnati (53-74) has lost three straight games and has dropped nine of the past 12 series against Chicago.

Joey Votto hit a solo homer in the ninth, his 33rd of the season, off Hector Rondon, helping the Reds avoid their fourth shutout loss this season and third at home.

Cincinnati wasn't finished with Rondon, who allowed back-to-back homers by Eugenio Suarez and Scott Schebler before recording the final out.

It was the 24th homer of the season for both Suarez and Schebler.

"Rondon did what he's supposed to do in that situation," said Maddon. "Throw strikes."

Reds starter Asher Wojciechowski (3-3) needed 35 pitches to get through the first inning. He walked three, including La Stella with the bases loaded to force in a run.

Jason Heyward's RBI single coupled with a throwing error by Reds left fielder Adam Duvall scored two runs, putting the Cubs ahead 3-0.

"Helps when you get a three-run lead before you even go out there," Montgomery said. "The offense has been unbelievable for us the past week or so. Hopefully, we can keep it going."

Heyward came through again in the third when he drove home Anthony Rizzo, who had doubled, with another RBI hit, putting Chicago ahead 4-0.

Wojciechowski allowed eight runs (seven earned) in 3 2/3 innings.

"That first inning set the tone," said Reds manager Bryan Price. "He was up in the zone. You're in the first inning and you're down 3-0, there's not much room for error."

Montgomery induced 11 ground-ball outs, none bigger than one to end the third inning when shortstop Javier Baez made a sliding stab of Votto's hard grounder to start a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning after the Reds had runners on first and second.

"That was unbelievable," Montgomery said. "For him to backhand it, then for us to be able to turn the double play. Such a boost."

Schwarber then launched a three-run, opposite-field homer, his 21st of the season, to make the score 7-0. There was a 1-minute, 14-second crew chief review to determine the ball did clear the left field wall.

"That first half is a complete wash for me," said Schwarber. "I've felt a lot better at the plate recently, hitting the ball hard the last couple of days. Got to take those. Don't worry about the result, worry about the process and hit it where it's at."

Chicago led 9-0 in the fourth after La Stella hit a two-run homer, his third of the season, off right-hander Alejandro Chacin, who was making his major league debut.

"We grew from struggling in the first half," Montgomery said. "It's all about getting to the playoffs. We're completely over last year now. We're having fun."

NOTES: Cubs LHP Jon Lester threw on the side on Wednesday and is expected to throw a bullpen session on Friday in Philadelphia. Next steps will be determined after Friday's bullpen. Lester is on the disabled list with lat tightness and shoulder fatigue. ... Reds RHP Luke Farrell was recalled from Triple-A Louisville and RHP Alejandro Chacin had his contract selected from Louisville. The Reds also optioned OF Phillip Ervin to Triple-A, and RHP Blake Wood was designated for assignment. Farrell allowed one hit over three innings in his Reds debut.

Anderson's walk-off single lifts White Sox over Twins

(TSX / STATS) -- CHICAGO -- Rick Renteria said he was pulling for just this kind of outcome Wednesday night.

With the Chicago White Sox locked in a 3-3 tie with the Minnesota Twins in the ninth inning, Tim Anderson lined a single to left to score Avisail Garcia with the winning run for a 4-3 walk-off victory.

"It's a confidence builder when you get a big hit," said Renteria, the White Sox manager. "We were sitting in there with the last at-bat going and we really wanted this for Timmy. It's a big situation, see how he does and fortunately he was able to get it through the infield."

Anderson sent a 1-0 pitch from Trevor Hildenberger (2-2) with one out in the ninth inning for his first career game-ending hit.

Right-handed reliever Danny Farquhar (3-2) worked a scoreless inning for the win.

Garcia led off the bottom of the ninth with a single to right and reached second on Kevan Smith's sacrifice bunt. An intentional walk to Yolmer Sanchez set the stage for Anderson.

Chicago (49-76) snapped a two-game slide and Minnesota (65-61) saw its two-game winning streak end.

Twins starter Ervin Santana allowed two runs (one earned), scattered three hits and a walk and struck out eight in seven innings.

He almost went eight innings.

"My gut told me after the tough seventh, pitching out of a jam, we could have sent him back out for the eighth," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "I just thought after the seventh, that was a good job getting out of that. I just wanted to turn it over, six outs to go."

The White Sox's James Shields yielded three runs, three hits and two walks while striking out six in six innings.

"He's pitched really, really well," Renteria said. "His ability to share things with the other (younger) guys is really important. It's kind of a two-pronged benefit to us at this particular time and we're going to take advantage of it."

Minnesota snapped a 1-1 tie with two runs in the sixth.

Brian Dozier walked, reached third on Joe Mauer's base hit to right and scored on Jorge Polanco's single to left.

With runners at second and third, a Shields wild pitch got past Smith at the plate and Mauer sprinted home for a 3-1 lead. Polanco reached third on the same play, but Shields struck out Byron Buxton to end the threat.

Leury Garcia launched a towering solo home run to right -- his ninth homer of the season -- to trim the deficit to 3-2 with one out in the White Sox sixth.

Twins left-hander Taylor Rogers entered in relief in the eighth and gave up back-to-back doubles, including a run-scoring two-base hit by Yoan Moncada that drove in Garcia for a 3-3 tie with one out.

"He got the first out, got 0-2 on the next guy, but 0-2 doubles hurt," Molitor said. "Then we got ahead of Moncada there, but he got enough for it to get down the line."

Santana struck out five of the first eight batters he faced and didn't give up a hit until Alen Hanson's two-out triple down the right field line in the third inning. The White Sox left fielder then scored on a throwing error by Polanco.

Shields, meanwhile, retired 11 straight batters and struck out four while no balls left the infield.

That sequence ended when Polanco made up for his earlier mistake and lined a 1-1 pitch to right for his seventh homer of the season. The two-out shot forced a 1-1 tie and marked the fourth consecutive game he hit a home run.

NOTES: The Twins called up RHP John Curtis from Triple-A Rochester and designated RHP Tim Melville (0-1) for assignment. ... Minnesota RHP Jose Berrios (11-5, 3.99 ERA) opposes White Sox LHP Derek Holland (6-13, 6.07) on Thursday in the finale of the five-game series. The series is tied 2-2. ... Chicago sent 3B Matt Davidson to Triple-A Charlotte on an rehab assignment. He went on the disabled list Aug. 8 (retroactive to Aug. 4) with a right wrist contusion. ... Chicago's Alen Hanson played left field Wednesday. He also has played right and center field, second and third base, shortstop and served as designated hitter this season. ... The teams meet for the final time this season Aug. 29-31 at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Zobrist fuels Cubs' comeback win over Reds

(TSX / STATS) -- CINCINNATI -- It was the stuff of nightmares for Ben Zobrist, but ultimately the Chicago Cubs produced a dreamy result on Tuesday night.

Zobrist drove in the go-ahead runs with a pinch-hit, two-run double in the seventh inning as the Cubs rallied for a 13-9 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in the opener of a three-game series at Great American Ball Park.

"It was a relief," said Zobrist, when asked to describe his emotions while standing on second base. "We won, and I was able to contribute something."

Zobrist arrived at Great American Ball Park about an hour before the game, around three hours later than usual.

He spent more than an hour haggling with a rental car company, then fought heavy traffic en route to Cincinnati from his hometown of Nashville, where he spent the off day on Monday.

"I was frustrated for about seven hours today," he said. "I'm just glad I made it."

When it became apparent Zobrist wasn't going to make it to the ballpark on time, Cubs manager Joe Maddon put Ian Happ into the lineup at second base, batting fifth.

When Zobrist finally arrived, Maddon told him, "'You're going to play the role of Dan Johnson tonight.' He was Dan Johnson tonight."

In 2008, Johnson got to the ballpark late due to a delayed flight from the minors then hit a game-tying home run for Maddon's Tampa Bay Rays off the Boston Red Sox's Jonathan Papelbon.

"I've had nightmares about showing up at the ballpark late," Zobrist said. "It won't happen again. (Maddon) said I'm going to be Dan Johnson, I'm going to do something special. I'm glad it worked out."

Zobrist's double and his RBI groundout in the eighth helped the Cubs (67-57) score 13 runs in a four-inning span to move 10 games above .500 for the first time this season.

Javier Baez (2-for-5) also delivered a two-run single in the seventh.

"He can have some really wild at-bats, but he likes the moment, and he came through again," said Maddon.

Hector Rondon (4-1) retired one batter for the win. Wandy Peralta (3-4) allowed three runs in two-thirds of an inning for the loss.

Eugenio Suarez homered twice and had a career-high five RBIs, and Jesse Winker and Scooter Gennett each hit solo homers for Cincinnati (53-73).

Winker's long ball off Felix Pena was the first pinch-hit homer of his career.

Reds starter Homer Bailey left after three scoreless innings for precautionary reasons with irritation in the back of his right shoulder.

Bailey, who came off the disabled list June 24 after missing most of the past two seasons with elbow and forearm surgeries, was visited by trainers after walking John Lackey in the third inning but remained in the game.

Bailey did not return for the fourth, however, exiting after 47 pitches. He allowed only one hit and one walk while striking out two.

"We debated about whether he could go back out there, but we knew he shouldn't with the road he's traveled," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "We don't have any intention to put him on the DL at this point."

Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton starred at the plate and in the field. He led off the game with a single, stole his 52nd base of the season, and later scored from third on a wild pitch to put Cincinnati ahead 1-0.

In the second, Hamilton prevented the tying run from scoring with a diving catch of Jason Heyward's line drive for the third out. In the third, Hamilton raced in to make a diving catch on Kris Bryant's sinker line drive to end the inning.

Tucker Barnhart drove home Suarez with a double into the right field corner in the second. Gennett's 22nd home run of the season and third in his past eight games made it 3-0.

The Cubs loaded the bases in the fifth against Kevin Shackelford, who took over for Bailey, and scratched across a couple runs before Heyward's two-out RBI single tied the score 3-3. Shackelford allowed three runs, three hits and four walks in 1 2/3 innings.

Suarez's three-run shot, his 22nd home run of the season, handed a three-run lead back to Cincinnati in the fifth.

However, the Reds' bullpen later relinquished the lead, and then some. Cincinnati right-hander Blake Wood allowed five runs in one inning.

"It's hard to watch, especially since we've seen better from him," said Price.

NOTES: In the ninth inning, 1B Anthony Rizzo became the third left-handed position player to play third base for the Cubs, the first since George Decker in 1895. ... Cubs 3B Kris Bryant was hit on the left hand in the ninth inning by Reds RHP Blake Wood. X-rays were negative. ... Reds RHP Scott Feldman, who is on the disabled list for the second time this season due to right knee inflammation, underwent season-ending arthroscopic surgery. ... Cincinnati SS Zack Cozart returned to the lineup after missing two games, and he went 1-for-4. He was hit on the left leg by a pitch on Friday.

Twins use three homers to down White Sox

(TSX / STATS) -- CHICAGO -- Kyle Gibson worked his way out of two perilous jams while long balls from his teammates provided relief Tuesday night.

The Minnesota Twins right-hander faced bases loaded with one out in the second inning and none in the third inning but escaped each time in a 4-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

"A lot of danger, really," said Gibson (7-10) who went on to work seven innings. "It doesn't really matter what team it is, it was a tough spot. But in that situation, you got to execute pitches and go one out at a time."

The Twins shrugged off an early deficit and hit three home runs on the way the victory.

Jorge Polanco, Kennys Vargas and Eddie Rosario each homered against White Sox rookie right-hander Lucas Giolito, called up Tuesday from Triple-A Charlotte for his Chicago debut.

The White Sox pushed across a first-inning run but came up empty on two early bases-loaded scoring opportunities and were shut out the rest of the way.

Gibson allowed one run and seven hits in seven innings. He struck out eight and walked just one for his first victory since beating the Detroit Tigers on July 22.

Giolito (0-1) worked six innings, allowing four runs and six hits. He struck out three and walked none while throwing 99 pitches.

White Sox manager Rick Renteria was pleased with the outing even as he wished his team had scored more for Giolito.

"I thought it was very positive," he said. "Lucas threw the ball very, very well. Fastball was very good, he was using his breaking ball ... He looked very, very good to me."

The victory was the second straight and sixth in seven games for the Twins (65-60), who are 13-4 in their past 17 games.

Chicago (48-76) dropped its second straight and is 3-8 in its last 11

Twins relievers Trevor Hildenberger and Matt Belisle worked scoreless eighth and ninth innings. Belisle gave up a hit but posted his fourth save.

Rosario clubbed his 18th homer of the season with one out in the sixth. His two-run shot to left scored Joe Mauer and gave Minnesota a 4-1 lead.

"Once Rosie (Eddie Rosario) hit that big homer it really allowed me to settle in a little bit and keep attacking," Gibson said.

The White Sox took a 1-0 lead in the first inning as rookie Yoan Moncada doubled to right with one out, reached third on Jose Abreu's lineout and scored on Gibson's wild pitch with Nicky Delmonico at the plate.

Chicago loaded the bases with one out in the second, but Adam Engel struck out swinging and Leury Garcia grounded to second.

Moncada was perched at third with no outs in the third as the White Sox loaded the bases again before Gibson struck Avisail Garcia, Yolmer Sanchez and Tim Anderson to escape the threat.

"We had two innings where we had a great opportunity to open up that ballgame and maybe the outcome would have been a little different and it would have looked a little different for (Giolito)," Renteria said.

The Twins evened matters in the fourth on Polanco's leadoff home run to center, his sixth of the season.

In the fifth inning, Vargas belted an 0-2 pitch from Giolito for his ninth home run of the season, a solo shot to right-center that gave the Twins a 2-1 lead.

NOTES: Twins manager Paul Molitor, who celebrated his 61st birthday, appeared in 18 games on that date during his playing career, batting .264. ... Minnesota 2B Brian Dozier has eight doubles, 11 home runs, 20 RBIs and 19 runs in his past 24 games against Chicago. ... The Twins send RHP Ervin Santana (13-7, 3.33 ERA) against White Sox RHP James Shields (2-4, 5.72) on Wednesday. ... The White Sox recalled RHP Lucas Giolito from Triple-A Charlotte for the start. The No. 6 prospect in the organization, Giolito was acquired in December from the Nationals and was 6-10 with a 4.48 ERA in 24 Charlotte starts. ... The rare five-game series (which included a makeup game as part of the Monday doubleheader) concludes Thursday.

Blue Jays turn to Tepesch to try to tip scales vs. Cubs

Stats, LLC

(TSX / STATS) -- CHICAGO -- Nick Tepesch doesn't have much of a major league track record this season with just three appearances with two teams since May.

But the right-hander could make a case for sticking around with the Toronto Blue Jays with a solid performance in Saturday's interleague game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Tepesch (1-2, 5.25 ERA) was traded to Toronto from the Minnesota Twins in late July for cash considerations. He had been sidelined since late May with a right elbow injury.

He was pounded in his first start against the New York Yankees, allowing five runs and eight hits in an 11-5 Blue Jays loss on Aug. 9.

But Tepesch bounced back five days later with a quality start against Tampa Bay, allowing just one run on four hits while walking four per six innings in Toronto's 2-1 victory.

"His command was a little bit better, he stayed on the attack, we got some breaks, we ran some balls down, and he hung in there," Toronto manager John Gibbons told reporters. "We had a depleted bullpen and he gave us just what we needed."

Toronto (59-63) seeks to even the weekend interleague series with Chicago after the Cubs claimed a 7-4 victory in Friday's opener.

Tepesch and the Blue Jays will go against Cubs left-hander Jose Quintana (3-2, 3.86 ERA) in the series' middle game.

Quintana has been up and down since arriving in a trade with the Chicago White Sox as he approaches his seventh start with the Cubs and 25th of the season.

In his last outing -- a 15-5 Cubs win over Cincinnati on Aug. 14 -- he worked five inning and allowed two runs and four hits while striking out four and walking four.

Quintana will make his 10th career start against the Blue Jays and has pitched at least six innings in all nine previous outings, posting a 1.77 ERA.

"I'm just trying to do my job and hit my spots," Quintana told reporters after Monday's win over the Reds. "Things are a little new for me here, but I feel pretty good, so no pressure on me.

"The game doesn't change. You go to a different league, but it's the same. I try to use my strengths. I'm really happy with this outing because I needed that."

While with the White Sox this season, Quintana went 4-8 with a 4.49 ERA in 18 starts.

Saturday" interleague game will be only the fifth the Blue Jays have played at Wrigley Field.

Until Friday, Toronto had not been to the North Side ballpark since June 6-8, 2005. Friday's crowd of 41,814 included a healthy contingent of Blue Jays fans, with a large group also expected for the final two games.

The Blue Jays hold an 8-5 edge in games played at Wrigley Field and the Rogers Centre. The Cubs are 8-1 in their last nine interleague games and are now 9-7 overall against American League teams.

Arrieta pitches Cubs past Blue Jays

(TSX / STATS) -- CHICAGO -- Jake Arrieta has promised that his best pitching is yet to come.

It's hard to complain about his current production, however, as he produced his third straight win and seventh straight quality start in Friday's 7-4 interleague victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Arrieta (13-8) allowed a first-inning run and two hits and then scattered four hits the rest of the way in his 6 1/3-inning outing.

"I've located the ball really well, I've established certain things early on in the ballgame that allow me to do things differently as the game progresses," said Arrieta, who's yielded just 10 earned runs in his last seven starts.

"The game plan is always to utilize strengths and try to expose a weakness here and there with the opposing offense and try to pitch into the seventh inning."

The Cubs (64-57) maintained their perch atop the National League Central while the Blue Jays (59-63) saw a two-game winning streak come to a halt.

Toronto starter J.A. Happ (6-9) took the loss and had a three-game winning streak snapped.

"It was a battle for him," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "I thought he was OK. ... He had to work, he really had to work in those early innings."

Cubs closer Wade Davis pitched a one-two-three ninth to earn his 25th save.

Chicago shortstop Javier Baez (2-for-4) clubbed a two-run homer -- his 20th -- in the eighth inning while rookie catcher Victor Caratini went 3-for-3, walked and scored a run to lead the Cubs. Albert Almora Jr. and Anthony Rizzo each also had two hits in Chicago's 13-hit attack.

Toronto jumped to a short-lived 1-0 lead in the first as Steve Pearce singled to right-center and drove in Justin Smoak with two out.

Chicago replied with three runs in the second. Leadoff batter Ben Zobrist walked, reached third on Caratini's double and came home on a Jason Heyward single. Baez drove in Caratini with a base hit and Almora singled to shallow right to bring in Heyward.

The Cubs touched up Happ for two more runs in the fifth as Rizzo's double to left-center brought home Almora and Kris Bryant.

Happ lasted five innings before departing for left-handed reliever Aaron Loup. Happ gave up five runs on nine hits, walked two and struck out eight while throwing 103 pitches.

Arrieta left in the seventh after throwing 93 pitches and 61 for strikes. Right-handed reliever Carl Edwards Jr. inherited runners on first and second with one out. He got pinch hitter Kendrys Morales to ground into a fielder's choice to first and Rizzo fired home to Caratini to catch Kevin Pillar trying to score from third. Edwards closed the frame by striking out Jose Bautista.

Arrieta allowed one run on six hits, walked two and struck out six.

"Today he threw a lot of strikes, he gets ahead in the count that's when he good," said Blue Jays catcher Miguel Montero, who caught Arrieta for several seasons while with the Cubs. "That's why he went deep in the game."

The Blue Jays hit Cubs reliever Pedro Strop for three eighth-inning runs, including a two-run single by Ryan Goins that scored Montero and Pillar and make it a one-run game.

Chicago replied with a one-out, two-run homer by Baez off reliever Tim Mayza in the bottom of the inning for a 7-4 lead.

NOTES: The weekend interleague series is the Blue Jays' first visit to Wrigley Field since June 6-8, 2005, the second longest gap beaten the Cubs and any opponent in franchise history. ... Toronto has played only four all-time games at Wrigley, the fewest by any major league team. ... The Blue Jays send RHP Nick Tepesch (1-2, 5.25 ERA) against Cubs LHP Jose Quintana (3-2, 3.86 ERA) in Saturday's game. ... The Cubs placed LHP Jon Lester (left lat tightness/general shoulder fatigue) and RHP Justin Grimm (finger infection) on the 10-day disabled list on Friday. They called up RHP Felix Pena and LHP Rob Zastryzny from Triple-A Iowa). ... With two solo homers on Thursday, Cubs rookie Ian Happ became only the second Cubs player since at least 1913 with three multi-homer games in his first 78 career games.

Delmonico's 2 HRs power White Sox past Rangers

(TSX / STATS) -- ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Chicago White Sox are going nowhere in 2017, but they showed Friday night that the future is bright.

Hot-hitting rookie Nicky Delmonico hit two homers and drove in three as the White Sox snapped a five-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over Texas.

Delmonico's inside-the-park homer in the eighth inning snapped a 3-3 tie and helped make a winner out of Gregory Infante and set up Juan Minaya for a save. The win was the first in the majors for Infante (1-1) and the save was the first in Minaya's career.

Delmonico's heroics also helped end a four-game winning streak for the Rangers.

Delmonico opened the eighth by lining a Ricky Rodriguez (0-1) pitch deep to right. Texas right fielder Nomar Mazara crashed into the wall and stayed down, allowing Delmonico to scoot home with the first inside-the-park homer for a Chicago player since Brett Lawrie on June 26, 2016.

It also capped a night in which he went 2-for-3 with three RBIs. He now has five homers in his first 15 games and has reached base safely in 14 of those. He already has two two-homer games, but the inside-the-parker goes to the top of the list.

"I felt like I ran out of gas right before third, but luckily I was able to score," said Delmonico, who now has four homers in his last 11 plate appearances. "I thought maybe there was a chance to get out, but luckily I beat it. In Triple-A this year I hit one. This is pretty special."

Special is the best way to describe the start for Delmonico's career.

"He's going to have an opportunity to do very well," Chicago manager Rick Renteria said. "His composure, his approach, his demeanor is a big part of that. I think he's a baseball player. He's been around the block, grinding out, trying to get here. I think he appreciates the opportunity he's getting. He just goes out and plays the game."

The Rangers caught a break on the homer, too. Mazara stayed down and was looked at by the team trainers after hyperextending his left knee. He remained in the game and was examined by team doctor Keith Meister after, with no structural damage found.

""I'm okay," said Mazara, who extended his hitting streak to six by going 1-for-2 with two walks. "When I jumped and got down my leg locked a little bit and I felt something I've never felt before. And then when I got up I got scared. Thank God everything's fine. I knew right away it was my knee, the outside part. I didn't want to get up because it was hurting at the time. Then I sat down and it was kind of calming down."

Infante retired all five batters he faced, striking out one. Minaya worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth to preserve the win.

The White Sox took an early 1-0 lead off Texas starter Andrew Cashner when Leury Garcia scored on an error. Chicago starter James Shields made that run stand up until Mike Napoli hit a two-run homer into the Texas bullpen in the fourth inning.

The White Sox regained the lead in the sixth when Delmonico ripped a Cashner pitch to right for a two-run homer to put Chicago up 3-2.

Texas tied the score in the bottom of the seventh on a Delino DeShields grounder. Shields was charged with two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Cashner had his streak of quality starts end at six, allowing three runs (two earned) in 5 2/3 innings.

"I felt all right, not my best, but I found a way to grind through and give us a chance to win," Cashner said. "Everything I've been through in my career I kind of have an idea of what I need to do to get through a game without having my best stuff. My sinker was kind of hit and me. Changeup was decent and my curveball was all right. It was more working both sides of the plate with a fastball and keeping them off balance."

Tim Anderson had three of the nine Chicago hits and Jose Abreu went 2-for-5.

NOTES: Chicago will recall RHP Lucas Giolito from Triple-A Charlotte on Monday to start one of the doubleheader games against Minnesota. He is 6-10 with a 4.48 ERA for Charlotte. ... Chicago OF Avisail Garcia was out of the lineup again because of sore left wrist. He could play Saturday. ... Texas 3B Adrian Beltre moved into a tie for 27th on the career hit list with his single in the sixth inning. He's tied with Rafael Palmeiro with 3,020 hits.

Red-hot Rangers host weary White Sox

Stats, LLC

(TSX / STATS) -- ARLINGTON, Texas -- Considering the Chicago White Sox just finished getting swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the best team in baseball, a four-game set against the Texas Rangers starting Thursday will represent a reprieve.

Right? Maybe not.

The Rangers are one of the hottest teams in the American League, winners of six of their past seven games.

In a three-game sweep of the Tigers, Texas swamped Detroit with 28 runs on 39 hits and 55 baserunners, including 25 baserunners in a 12-6 victory Wednesday.

Welcome to Texas, Chicago.

The White Sox's Reynaldo Lopez (0-0, 3.00 ERA) will meet fellow right-hander Tyson Ross (3-2, 7.11) in the series opener.

"It'd be tough to point to just one thing," Texas manager Jeff Banister said of the key to the team's hot streak. "It's been the number of baserunners we continue to have. The double-digit baserunners have allowed us to do some things that we're used to doing: run the bases, steal bases, create, and obviously the home run shows up for us in certain situations.

"But I think it's the combination of all things. The defense we've played, the pitching we've gotten, and the offense has really showed up for us."

The Rangers (59-60) are back within a game of .500 and two games behind the second American League wild-card position with 43 games to play. Texas is trying to extend a three-game winning streak while keeping their longshot playoff hopes alive.

The White Sox (45-72) are 4-10 in August, and they have lost four straight.

"We got to put this behind us as quickly as possible because tomorrow is a new day," Chicago manager Rick Renteria said after his team blew a ninth-inning lead to fall 5-4 at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.

Lopez, 23, will be making his second start of the season. He allowed two runs and struck out six over six innings in his season debut, a no-decision against the Kansas City Royals on Friday. Thursday will mark his first career start against Texas.

Ross comes in following a victory in his most recent start. The 30-year-old allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings in an 8-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday. Ross has worked fewer than six innings in seven of his eight starts this year.

He is 3-0 with a 2.95 ERA in three career starts and one relief appearance against Chicago.

The White Sox showed some pop with four homers in the finale against the Dodgers, including two from rookie Nicky Delmonico. Leury Garcia hit the first pitch of the game out of the park, just as teammate Tim Anderson did the day before. That marked the first time in franchise history the White Sox homered in consecutive games on the first pitch.

"We lost a (tough) game in the ninth," Garcia said. "We're still working and playing hard."

Anderson has five home runs, four doubles, a triple and 11 RBIs in his past 13 games.

Fatigue might be an issue for Chicago, which wasn't expected to get into Texas until early Thursday morning after playing the Dodgers late on the West Coast.

Nomar Mazara, Elvis Andrus and Joey Gallo are all going well for the Rangers -- and all three homered Wednesday, as did Adrian Beltre.

Mazara has three three-hit games in his past seven outings, and he is batting .481 during that span. The 22-year-old has 20 RBIs in his past 18 games.

Andrus' career year now includes a torrid stretch in which he is hitting .359 with 11 doubles, five home runs and 14 RBIs over his past 24 games.

Gallo, who is tied for second in the AL with 35 homers, has 10 long balls in August and 14 since the All-Star break.

"I think everybody's doing their job, we're having really good at-bats, nobody's taking anything for granted, and no matter if it's two outs, we still believe we can have a rally and score runs," Andrus said. "That's our DNA that we need to keep the rest of the season, and hopefully the beginning of something good."

The series will also feature a notable homecoming.

White Sox lefty Derek Holland, who pitched eight seasons and on two World Series teams with the Rangers, returns to face his former team Saturday.

Cubs' Lester looks to stay hot versus Reds

Stats, LLC

(TSX / STATS) -- CHICAGO -- Jon Lester hopes to resume a positive post-All-Star break run as the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds wrap up a four-game series at Wrigley Field on Thursday.

Lester (8-7, 3.99 ERA) is 3-1 with a 3.26 ERA in six starts since the break with one blip -- allowing four runs (three earned) and seven hits over six innings in a 6-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday.

"It's like a start over for us at the break," Lester said recently. "As of now, that stuff is going well. There are some clunkers in there I wish I could take it back or grind through better and have a better outcome."

The Reds counter with ex-Cub right-hander Scott Feldman (7-7, 4.43 ERA).

The Cubs (63-56) will look for a third victory in the series win while the Reds (50-71) seek to avoid their fifth loss in six games.

The pressure at least will be off Joey Votto. The Reds first baseman went 1-for-4 on Wednesday and missed a chance to tie a record held by Ted Williams for the most consecutive games reaching base at least twice.

Votto's hot stretch -- which included a 17-game hitting streak -- was halted at 20 games, leaving intact Williams' 21-game record set in 1948.

"To me, he's the best guy going in baseball right now," Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta told WSCR-AM on Wednesday. "What he is able to do is hit quality pitches for power."

Feldman makes his second start since coming off a 25-day stay on the disabled list caused by right knee inflammation. He is tied with Michael Lorenzen for the Reds' lead in wins, and tied with Tim Adleman for the club lead in starts, and his nine quality starts are a team high.

Feldman pitched for the Cubs in 2013 before a trade to Baltimore. Since then, he has faced the Cubs twice -- both this season, going 1-1 with a 4.66 ERA. He allowed no runs on two hits over seven innings in a 5-0 victory on June 30.

"My hopes are that he'll be able to maintain what we saw those first couple of months, as far as being able to go out there and take the field and do all the little things that he had to do as a pitcher -- field your position, swing the bat, run the bases, et cetera, without too much issue," Reds manager Bryan Price said recently.

Lester is 4-3 with a 3.76 ERA in 14 home starts compared to 4-4, 4.27 in 11 appearances away from Wrigley Field. Lefties are batting only .184 against him while right-handers are hitting .264.

Lester is 4-1 with a 4.79 ERA in 11 career starts against Cincinnati, all coming since he joined the Cubs. Lester is 2-0 with a 3.94 in five Wrigley Field starts against the Reds.

The Cubs continue their homestand with a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays starting Friday.

The Reds next travel to Atlanta for their first games at SunTrust Park. That three-game series also opens Friday.

Wild pitch gives Cubs walk-off win over Reds

(TSX / STATS) -- CHICAGO -- Anthony Rizzo said he was hoping for a break in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds were locked in a tie game Wednesday.

The Chicago first baseman got his wish as Javier Baez scored the winning run on a two-out wild pitch by Reds reliever Blake Wood, giving the Cubs a 7-6 walk-off victory on Wednesday night.

"(Cincinnati catcher) Tucker Barnhart was really good behind there this whole series so far, he's a really good blocker," Rizzo said. "I started throwing out there, 'Come on, just one little passed ball.' It didn't get fully by him, but it was a great read by Javier to score that run."

The Cubs (63-56) posted their fourth walk-off victory of the season and first on a wild pitch. The Reds (50-71) lost on a walk-off wild pitch for the second time on their current road trip.

Baez led off the ninth with a double against Reds reliever Wandy Peralta. Pinch hitter Jon Jay walked on four pitches, and Ben Zobrist advanced the runners to third and second with a fielder's choice grounder.

Wood entered and struck out Albert Almora Jr. on four pitches before he threw the wild pitch to Kris Bryant on a 1-0 count.

"There's not really any margin for error there," Wood said. "You've got to make pitches, and hopefully it works out. Tonight, I just pulled one a little bit too far, and that was it."

Chicago closer Wade Davis (3-1) worked one scoreless inning for the victory. Peralta (3-3) took the loss after yielding one run in 1 1/3 innings.

Rizzo went 2-for-4 with his third career grand slam, hit off Reds right-handed starter Homer Bailey. Rizzo's team-leading 28th home run of the season gave the Cubs a 4-1 first-inning lead.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto saw his bid to match a record held by Ted Williams fall short as he went 1-for-4. Votto had reached base at least twice in a game in 20 consecutive games until Wednesday.

Williams' record, set in 1948, is 21 games.

Neither starter factored into the decision.

Cubs right-hander John Lackey, seeking a win in his sixth straight start, was pulled in the sixth for pinch hitter Tommy La Stella, who doubled home Jason Heyward for a 6-1 lead.

After a shaky start, Lackey ended up allowing just one run and four hits while striking out six and walking three in six innings.

"I didn't have a good feel the first two innings, obviously," Lackey said. "I really had no breaking ball and kind of found that as we went along and got a little better."

Bailey departed after La Stella's hit. Bailey allowed six runs on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings, walking five and striking out 10 while throwing 109 pitches.

"I just didn't execute those (first-inning) pitches as well as I could have," Bailey said. "Tonight, just like they have all season, our offense did an outstanding job in coming back and showed their heart there. But tonight, our starting pitching lost us the game."

Cincinnati right fielder Phillip Ervin clubbed his first major league hit and home run on a first pitch from reliever Hector Rondon with two outs in the seventh inning.

Zack Cozart followed with a two-run homer to left, driving in Billy Hamilton to cut the margin to 6-4. Rondon was pulled in favor of Brian Duensing, who got Votto to ground out to end the inning.

With one out in the eighth, Reds pinch hitter Adam Duvall forced a 6-6 tie with a two-run homer off Carl Edwards Jr., also driving in Eugenio Suarez.

NOTES: Reds OF Scott Schebler went a combined 2-for-7 with an RBI on Tuesday and Wednesday in rehab appearances for Triple-A Louisville. He has been on the disabled list since Aug. 1 with a left shoulder strain. ... Reds 1B Joey Votto's consecutive game streak reaching base two or more times in a game included a 17-game hitting streak that was snapped Sunday at Milwaukee. ... Cincinnati RHP Scott Feldman (7-7, 4.43 ERA) opposes Cubs LHP Jon Lester (8-7, 3.99 ERA) on Thursday in the series finale. ... Chicago 1B Anthony Rizzo's grand slam was his first since Sept. 4, 2015, against Arizona. All three of his slams have come at Wrigley Field.

Dodgers pull out another one vs. White Sox

(TSX / STATS) -- LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers did it again.

Down by two runs in the bottom of the ninth, the Dodgers got to the Chicago White Sox bullpen. Facing right-handed reliever Jake Petricka with one out, Yasiel Puig hit a two-run, walk-off double as the Dodgers scored a 5-4 comeback victory in front of a sellout crowd Wednesday.

Puig's teammates mobbed him at second base, and the Dodgers celebrated a 38th comeback win.

"We're down by two. Two runs is not enough (to worry)," Los Angeles left fielder Enrique Hernandez said. "I don't think there's a big enough lead right now to be like, 'Oh, the Dodgers are out of a game,' especially late innings. All I can say is it's an everyday thing now."

Chicago led 4-2 entering the ninth. Reliever Gregory Infante recorded the first out, then was replaced by Aaron Bummer. Pinch hitter Cody Bellinger singled, and the White Sox changed pitchers again, bringing in Petricka (1-1).

Logan Forsythe's double to left scored Bellinger, cutting the deficit to 4-3. Austin Barnes' single put runners at the corners for Puig, who hit a 3-2 pitch to left-center field, ending the game.

The much-anticipated Yu Darvish debut as a Dodger at Dodger Stadium was unspectacular. He left the game after six innings as a precautionary measure due to back tightness.

He wasn't involved in the decision and watched in awe with how the Dodgers (85-34) pulled off another win -- on his 31st birthday.

"When (Darvish) left the game, the manager told him not to worry," Puig said through an interpreter. "What better gift on his birthday than the Dodgers winning."

After the game, Darvish simply tweeted: "OMG."

The White Sox hit four solo home runs, including two from rookie Nicky Delmonico, but it wasn't enough. One day earlier, Petricka hit Joc Pederson with the bases loaded to bring in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning of Los Angeles' eventual 6-1 victory.

White Sox starter Carlos Rodon pitched well in holding the Dodgers to two runs in 7 1/3 innings Wednesday. He allowed five hits and four walks while striking out four.

Darvish gave up three runs, all on solo homers, in six innings. He allowed eight hits and one walk while striking out only two. Two of the home runs were leadoff shots.

He went out to the mound to pitch the seventh but was met by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and a trainer. Darvish left the game, citing the back issue that he said began in his previous start at Arizona.

"I was going to go out, obviously, but in between innings I talked to (Clayton) Kershaw a little bit," Darvish said through an interpreter. "He asked me how I felt, and I told him there was something with my back. He said, 'We need you really bad in six weeks. That's when we need you the most.' That's what happened."

Leury Garcia homered on the first pitch of the game from Darvish for his first career leadoff home run. On Tuesday, Tim Anderson hit Alex Wood's first pitch for a home run.

"When I got here and I saw the lineup, I (went) straight to T.A. and said, 'The first pitch I'm going to swing at it. I want to be like you,'" Garcia said. "And it happened."

It was the first time in franchise history the White Sox homered in consecutive games on the first pitch.

In the bottom of the first, Forsythe tied the game when he scored on a wild pitch by Rodon. Even so, Rodon was effective with his changeup.

"That's a good lineup," Rodon said. "They know how to win. We're still learning. It's a learning day today. We'll get them next time."

Darvish gave up his second home run when Delmonico, batting cleanup, went deep to right in the fourth. Delmonico extended his hitting streak to 11 games and has reached base safely in all 13 career games. He added another home run in the eighth on a first-pitch offering from reliever Tony Watson.

Hernandez led off the fourth inning with a home run off Rodon to left-center field, tying the game at 2. Hernandez earned himself a spot in the lineup based on his power against Rodon. He was 2-for-2 with two home runs against the White Sox in Chicago earlier this season. He made it three home runs in his first four at-bats against Rodon.

Jose Abreu homered in the sixth inning for a 3-2 White Sox lead.

Dodgers reliever Ross Stripling (2-4) pitched one scoreless inning for the win.

NOTES: Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw (back) threw a 38-pitch, two-inning simulated game Wednesday. He next is scheduled to throw a three-inning simulated game in five days or go on a rehab assignment ... White Sox manager Rick Renteria confirmed he was given a World Series ring by Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer in July at Wrigley Field. Renteria managed the Cubs in 2014, but the team went 73-89 and he was fired. ... Chicago INF Tim Anderson has three leadoff home runs this year, including one Tuesday, but he was moved to eighth in the order because of matchups, according to Renteria. Anderson has five home runs and 11 RBIs in his past 12 games ... Dodgers INF/OF Rob Segedin was back in the lineup at first base, and he went 0-for-3 in his first game since April 18. He had been out due to a toe strain and wrist surgery.

Reds hope to mount offense against Cubs' Lackey

Stats, LLC

(TSX / STATS) -- CHICAGO -- Given the deficit by which they lost to begin their visit to Wrigley Field, the Cincinnati Reds could have allowed their four-game series with the defending World Series champions to slip away before it really got started.

A 2-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, however, may have changed that.

Now, the Reds look to string two victories together after dropping three consecutive games, including a 15-5 defeat to the Cubs on Monday. Game 3 of the four-game set is scheduled for Wednesday night at Wrigley Field.

"To come off a game like (Monday's) when we got beat really bad and (Tuesday) we had enough confidence to play the game, I feel like this win was big for us," said Billy Hamilton, whose ninth-inning RBI single was crucial in the Reds' victory Tuesday.

The Reds' attempt to maintain their momentum will face a challenge Wednesday from Cubs right-hander John Lackey, who has won each of his past five starts and hasn't lost since June 28.

Lackey (10-9, 4.82 ERA) is 1-1 with a 6.35 ERA in two starts against the Reds this season, and he is 6-5 with a 3.90 ERA in 15 career starts against Cincinnati.

The Reds will counter will Homer Bailey (4-6, 8.31 ERA), who will face the Cubs for the first time this season. Bailey, who is 8-3 with a 4.37 ERA in 16 career starts against the Cubs, has dropped four of his past six starts.

As Cincinnati continues to fight through a disappointing season, the Cubs are hoping to use a stretch against sub-.500 teams like the Reds to improve their playoff standing. Thanks to a St. Louis Cardinals loss Tuesday, the Cubs maintained their 1 1/2-game edge in the National League Central. The Milwaukee Brewers also climbed within 1 1/2 games of Chicago thanks to their win Tuesday.

Although the Cubs have struggled all season to play with any type of consistency, they are hoping that a tight race and tight games like Tuesday's might set them up for another lengthy postseason run.

"I think we've played a lot better the second half," Chicago second baseman Ben Zobrist said. "We can still play better, and we anticipate doing that. We're in a decent spot -- we're not exactly where we want to be ... but we'd like to be playing even better than we are and kind of run away with the division."

With a favorable stretch upcoming, the Cubs are in a position to make the kind of run that set them apart in the NL Central last season.

However, after leaving 10 runners on base Tuesday while going 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, they know that even games against also-rans won't be easy.

"I'm hoping it's a dogfight and that we stay on top -- finish on top, that's it," Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward said after the Tuesday loss. "We're playing good baseball, we're battling on a daily basis, we're grinding, we're making adjustments and having fun competing, and that's all we can do."

Dodgers' Darvish pitches for home crowd vs. White Sox

Stats, LLC

(TSX / STATS) -- LOS ANGELES -- What a day Wednesday is expected to be for Yu Darvish.

The right-handed pitcher, acquired by the Los Angeles Dodgers in a deadline deal from the Texas Rangers last month, will make his home debut at Dodger Stadium. It also is his 31st birthday.

That's a lot of emotion.

Darvish has pitched well for the Dodgers in his two road starts, going 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA. He will face the White Sox to finish the two-game series at Dodger Stadium after Los Angeles rallied for a 6-1 win Tuesday.

"I don't remember facing him this year, but we have faced him," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "Obviously, a top-notch right-hander with about 30 billion types of pitches. We'll try to see what we can do with him. We'll try to eliminate some of them and see if we can get something we can handle and try to grind him out. He's an excellent pitcher."

Darvish is 1-1 with a 5.12 ERA in three career starts against Chicago, but he has not faced the White Sox since 2013.

White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon (1-4, 4.24 ERA) will oppose Darvish. Rodon's only career start against the Dodgers came this year, when he gave up five runs on seven hits (including four homers) in 3 2/3 innings and took the loss on July 19.

Rodon, 24, is following teammate Miguel Gonzalez, who pitched a one-run gem through six innings Monday. However, the White Sox's bullpen problems continued and couldn't get a win for Gonzalez, who grew up going to Dodgers games. The game was tied game through seven innings, but the White Sox allowed a five-run eighth.

"We tried to minimize damage as much as we could," Renteria said. "Some of our guys did a nice job of doing that, keeping us in the ballgame. It was a very good ballgame going into the seventh or the eighth. We just fell short."

The White Sox (45-71) are trying to reverse their fortunes against the team with the best record in baseball.

The Dodgers (84-34) moved 50 games above .500 with their Tuesday win, and now they unveil Darvish to the home crowd.

"I'm (looking forward to it) with much anticipation," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "I try to downplay it a little bit to Yu, making his Dodger debut at home. It's a sellout crowd. There's going to be a lot of energy. I know he's excited about it. The radar gun is going to be lighting up (Wednesday).

"We expect him to go out there and compete and make pitches. He's been on the big stage. For him and for his teammates, coaches, we're excited for him to make that Dodger debut at home."

The game was not sold out as of Tuesday evening.

One play Darvish will need to slow is Tim Anderson. The Chicago shortstop hit a home run on the first pitch of the Tuesday game, and he has five of the White Sox's 11 home runs in August. He has hit four home runs in the past six games.

After the Wednesday game, the White Sox travel to Texas for a four-game series. The Dodgers, who have just eight home games this month, head on the road again as well as they fly to Detroit on Thursday. They will begin a three-game series against the Tigers in which Adrian Gonzalez (herniated lumbar disk) will return from the disabled list and play in at least one game. He last appeared for Los Angeles on June 11.

Late runs lift Reds past Cubs

(TSX / STATS) -- CHICAGO -- Billy Hamilton stepped to the plate in the ninth inning on Tuesday night having struck out in two of his three at-bats.

However, with the Cincinnati Reds clinging to a one-run lead and Hamilton facing a two-strike count, the leadoff hitter found a way to come through.

Hamilton delivered a key RBI single, and Luis Castillo threw six shutout innings as the Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 on Tuesday night.

The Reds, who lost the series opener 15-5 on Monday night, snapped a three-game losing streak.

"I stuck in there and had the confidence to hit with two strikes in that situation. I ended up putting that ball in play, which is what I wanted to do," Hamilton said. "It was a big-time run for us."

Scooter Gennett's eighth-inning sacrifice fly off Cubs reliever Pedro Strop broke a scoreless tie, driving in Joey Votto. In the ninth, Votto walked, reached third on an Adam Duvall single and scored on Hamilton's hit, making it 2-0.

It proved to be the hit that mattered.

The Cubs got within a run in the ninth when Ben Zobrist singled in Kyle Schwarber, who led off the inning with a single. However, with the tying run on third base, Reds reliever Raisel Iglesias struck out Ian Happ to end the game and pick up his 21st save.

"Tonight was a pitcher's duel," said Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward, who was stranded on third when Happ struck out in the ninth. "It's one of those games -- playoff-like game -- we competed, we didn't give either way.

"It is what it is -- I wish it would have been 2-1 our side."

The Reds' offense came through after Castillo kept the Cubs in check. The rookie right-hander struck out seven and allowed just two hits and two walks.

Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks also tossed six-plus shutout innings, allowing five hits and four walks while fanning six.

Michael Lorenzen (7-2) earned the win by throwing a scoreless seventh inning. Wandy Peralta got one out in the eighth, and Iglesias recorded the final five outs.

"(Those were) big pitches," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "(The Cubs) just don't give up ... they make a push.

"They don't run a lot of guys up there that aren't reputable players that don't make you nervous when they're at the plate. They created an opportunity, but we were able to withstand it."

The Cubs loaded the bases in the eighth inning with two outs. After Zobrist and Jon Jay walked to lead off the inning, Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch with two outs. Iglesias struck out Victor Caratini to preserve the one-run lead.

The Reds threatened in the seventh inning when they put runners on second and third with two outs. After a walk to Gennett and a Eugenio Suarez single chased Hendricks, Carl Edwards Jr. struck out the side to keep the game scoreless.

The Cubs appeared on the verge of breaking the scoreless tie in the seventh when Caratini singled and reached third on a single by Albert Almora Jr., who was thrown out trying to reach second on the base hit. But Lorenzen got Heyward to line out to second and Javier Baez to ground out.

"I hit it hard," Heyward said. "I hit it hard."

After the Reds finally broke the ice with Gennett's sacrifice fly, they did just enough to hold off the defending World Series champions.

"Whenever you can win a ballgame at Wrigley Field, it's nice," Gennett said. "It's great energy, a great atmosphere to play in, and overall, it was just a really fun baseball game."

NOTES: Reds C Devin Mesoraco was placed on the disabled list on Tuesday with a fractured left foot after he was hit by a pitch on Monday. Mesoraco returned to Cincinnati to meet with team doctors, and manager Bryan Price said the catcher could be out three to six weeks. OF Phillip Ervin was called up from Triple-A Louisville to fill the roster spot. ... Reds 1B Joey Votto extended his club record of reaching safely at least twice in a game to 20 consecutive games with three walks. ... Cubs SS Addison Russell (foot) ran in the outfield prior to the game as he continues to rehab. Russell said Tuesday he believes he is "moving in the right direction" but does not have a definite timeline to return. ... Cubs 2B Ben Zobrist was held out of the starting lineup for the second straight day with neck stiffness, but he pinch-hit in the eighth inning and stayed in the game.

Dodgers use five-run eighth to beat Whie Sox

(TSX / STATS) -- LOS ANGELES -- Joc Pederson is in a hitting slump, but he won Tuesday's game for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the batter's box in a more unconventional way.

With the bases loaded in the eighth inning of a tie game against the Chicago White Sox, Pederson got hit by a pitch in the leg courtesy of reliever Jake Petricka to knock in the go-ahead run.

That led the Dodgers to a 6-1 win over the Chicago White Sox.

Los Angeles used a five-run eighth inning to turn a tight game into a rout. After Pederson was plunked with the bases loaded, pinch hitter Austin Barnes delivered a two-run single, as did Corey Seager.

After the game, closer Kenley Jansen jokingly said to Pederson in the clubhouse: "Hey, Joc, that was really big. Way to finally come through."

The Dodgers, a major-league-best 84-34, moved to 50 games above .500 for the first time since 1953. This was their 37th comeback victory.

"When you look at the win-loss, it's remarkable," Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. "We're going to celebrate tonight, like we do after we win, but we will refocus and it will be fun having Yu (Darvish) on the mound (Wednesday) making his home debut.

"Fifty games over .500 is kind of unchartered territory. We're playing good baseball."

The White Sox's season is completely opposite, and the bullpen woes continued for Chicago (45-71).

"The hit-by-pitch obviously didn't do us any favors," Petricka said. "Dug a little hole myself, and they just found some holes ... It's just next batter. I felt like I kept good focus. It was one pitch yanked a little too much and caught his hip."

Chicago's Tim Anderson continued his hot hitting, belting a home run to left field on the first pitch of the game. It was the fourth career leadoff home run for Anderson, who has four home runs and eight RBIs in his past seven games.

Dodgers starter Alex Wood gave up the solo shot, then was masterful. In the sixth, with a runner on third and two outs, Wood got pinch hitter Alen Hanson out on a called third strike. The lefty threw a big fist-pump after keeping the game tied at 1.

Wood allowed one run on six hits and no walks in seven innings while striking out six. His lone mistake was Anderson's home run, the first of his 79 pitches. He did not get a decision, though, failing in a bid to improve to 15-1.

"He just jumped on it," Wood said of Anderson's home run. "First pitch of the game, heater. Maybe left it up a little bit. It was out over. He was definitely looking heater. It surprised me a little bit how he turned and burned on that to start the game. After that, we settled down and made some quality pitches."

Brandon Morrow (5-0) got the win with one scoreless inning.

White Sox starter Miguel Gonzalez pitched well and made a quality start, allowing just one run on five hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked three in an emotional game as it was his first time pitching in Dodger Stadium.

Gonzalez was born in Mexico, but his family moved to San Fernando -- a city outside Los Angeles -- when he was 4. He graduated from San Fernando High and then attended Los Angeles Mission College. He went to plenty of Dodgers games sitting in the upper-deck seats.

"There were a lot of emotions," Gonzalez said. "I had my family here. My friends. When I was stretching in the outfield right before I started warming up, everyone was there supporting. They were pretty pumped about it.

"It just got me going right off the get-go. There's a lot of memories here growing up. It was fun."

His parents and many other family members and friends were in attendance. His wife, Lucia, who just gave birth to their second child a few days ago, was back in Chicago.

Juan Minaya (1-1), who allowed one hit and one run in one-plus inning, took the loss.

In the sixth inning, the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger used his speed to reach via an infield single. Yasmani Grandal singled and Yasiel Puig drew a walk to load the bases. A Logan Forsythe sacrifice fly scored Bellinger from third to tie the game at 1.

Puig was moved up to sixth in the batting order on Tuesday because of his consistency in at-bats, according to Roberts. He went 0-for-2 with two walks.

Forsythe and Pederson, who have been struggling as of late, were dropped to seventh and eighth in the order, respectively. Still, Pederson found a way to help the Dodgers clinch yet another comeback win.

NOTES: The Dodgers traded RHP Chris Hatcher to Oakland for international bonus pool money. The reliever was not going to get much work in the stacked Los Angeles bullpen, according to manager Dave Roberts .... Dodgers OF Rob Segedin (toe strain, wrist surgery) was activated from the 60-day disabled list ... The White Sox reinstated RHP Dylan Covey (left oblique strain) from the disabled list. ... White Sox C Geovany Soto (right elbow surgery) is expected to miss the rest of the season .... 1B Adrian Gonzalez (back) will make the Dodgers' next road trip, which starts Friday in Detroit. Gonzalez last played in a game on June 11. ... White Sox INF Matt Davidson (right wrist bruise) had a rehab setback caused by irritation. There was no structural damage, but his return date is unknown.

Jay, Rizzo lead Cubs in 15-5 rout of Reds

(TSX / STATS) -- CHICAGO -- On a night of high humidity and pitch counts, Jose Quintana was grateful for big offensive productions by his Chicago Cubs teammates on Monday.

The Cubs right-hander (3-2) was stretched through his five-inning outing but picked up his first win since July 23 as the Cubs rolled to a 15-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

"It was really good and it was early," said Quintana, who yielded two runs (one earned) on four hits and four walks while striking out four. "I started slow and that was really impressive to me."

Jon Jay went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple and three runs, and Anthony Rizzo was 3-for-5 with a homer and five RBIs to lead the Cubs.

"We scored first and just kept pouring it on," said Rizzo.

Tommy La Stella also had three hits and scored twice, and Kris Bryant and Javier Baez each had a pair of hits -- including a home run -- and scored twice for Chicago.

Jason Heyward went 2-for-4 with three runs as part of a 17-hit Cub attack, including 10 off Reds starter Asher Wojciechowski (3-2).

"They had a lot more hard contact through the course of the game, which led to more runs," said Reds manager Bryan Price. "But both teams had a lot of scoring opportunities and pitching wasn't sharp probably for either side."

The victory was the third in four games for Chicago (62-55), while the Reds (49-70) dropped their third straight.

Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto went 3-for-5 to extend his franchise record of consecutive games reaching base two times or more to 19.

Wojciechowski gave up seven runs in 3 2/3 innings.

Cubs reliever Mike Montgomery doubled in two runs with one out in a six-run seventh off Reds reliever Drew Storen. Montgomery's second hit of the season and first double drove in Kyle Schwarber and Heyward for a 9-2 lead.

La Stella's sacrifice fly to right resulted in an error by Patrick Kivlehan and brought home Baez and Montgomery. Rizzo's third hit of the night -- a single up the middle -- scored Jay, who had been intentionally walked. Schwarber capped the big inning with a single to bring in La Stella.

Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett was 2-for-5 and clubbed a two-run homer with no outs in the eighth off Montgomery, his 20th of the season.

Gennett also pitched the bottom of the eighth, allowing Baez's two-run homer, the shortstop's 18th of the season.

The Cubs claimed a 2-0 first-inning lead when Rizzo bounced a base hit to left to bring home Jay and Bryant. Jay had singled to open the inning while Bryant's one-out double to left put runners on second and third.

The Reds loaded the bases with one gone in the second and pushed across a run on Kivlehan's dribbler to the mound. Quintana's toss to catcher Alex Avila went awry, allowing Eugenio Suarez to score.

Billy Hamilton then singled to left to drive in Gennett for a 2-2 tie, but pinch runner Tucker Barnhart was thrown out at the plate.

Chicago loaded the bases with two outs in the third and failed to score, then rocked Wojciechowski for five runs in the fourth, all after two outs.

The Cubs plated two as Jay's triple to the right-field corner drove in Heyward for a 3-2 lead. Jay came home on La Stella's single to center to make it 4-2.

Bryant followed with his 22nd homer of the season and second in two days to score La Stella and extend the lead to 6-2.

Rizzo then made it back-to-back home runs with his 27th of the season, making it a 7-2 lead. It also chased Wojciechowski.

"They exploited their opportunities to score with multiple baserunners on, a couple of big innings that created some problems for us," said Price.

Reds starting catcher Devin Mesoraco was hit by a pitch in the second inning and departed in favor of Barnhart, who then worked the rest of the game behind the plate.

Price said an X-ray revealed a possible left foot fracture and that Mesoraco would return to Cincinnati on Tuesday for a MRI.

NOTES: Reds OF Scott Schebler is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday. He has been on the disabled list since Aug. 1 with a left shoulder strain. ... The Reds' rotation features three rookies: RHP Asher Wojciechowski (Monday's starter), RHP Luis Castillo (Tuesday's starter) and RHP Sal Romano. ... Castillo (2-5, 3.73 ERA) makes his 11th major league appearance and start on Tuesday as he faces the Cubs for the first time. Chicago will start RHP Kyle Hendricks (4-4, 3.70 ERA). ... The Cubs have a stretch of 13 straight games against teams in last place in their division and 24 against teams with below .500 records. ... Chicago is 32-29 away from Wrigley Field, the only NL Central team with a winning road mark.

Cubs claim series win with 7-2 victory over Diamondbacks

(TSX / STATS) -- PHOENIX -- Javier Baez broke up the game on a breaking ball Sunday.

Baez's three-run homer to start a four-run eighth inning helped the Chicago Cubs to a 7-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday at Chase Field, where the house seemed equally divided.

"In this series, they threw me probably three fastballs," Baez said. "I was looking for a breaking ball the last 'AB' and he finally threw it over the plate."

Victor Caratini singled and went to second on a groundout before Jason Heyward was intentionally walked to bring up Baez, who was 5-for-12 in the series. Baez's 17th homer of the season, off Jake Barrett, was measured at 463 feet.

Ian Happ hit a pinch-hit homer after Baez's shot and Kris Bryant homered in the ninth inning to help the Cubs (61-55) regain first place in the tight NL Central by one game over St. Louis (61-57), which lost to Atlanta.

"We're starting to get some big knocks," Cuba manager Joe Maddon said. "Javy again. There are times when he can be frustrating and other times he hits three-run homers in the upper tank. The last time I saw that was Troy Glaus versus Randy Johnson" in 2006.

Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta (12-8) gave up three hits and one run in six innings He struck out six and walked three in his sixth consecutive quality start since the All-Star break. His ERA is 1.94 since the break.

Baez, whose throwing error cost the Cubs in a 6-2 loss Saturday, said the intentional walk was not motivating.

"Just try to do my job and stick with my plan," he said.

"Traditionally Baez doesn't have tremendous amount of success when you are comparing left, right splits," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "I just liked the matchup. All indications were pointing to Jake's stuff having a better conclusion than it did."

Third baseman Jake Lamb had three of Arizona's four hits and Paul Goldschmidt homered in the ninth inning for the Diamondbacks (65-52), who have lost four of five.

Bryant had three hits and scored from second on a wild pitch and Baez had two hits for the Cubs, who had lost three of four to fall into a first-place tie with St. Louis.

The Cardinals (61-57) lost to Atlanta on Sunday and Milwaukee (61-59) beat Cincinnati on Sunday.

"It is going to be a real interesting finish to the Central this year," Maddon said.

Arizona right-hander Zack Godley (5-5) gave up four hits and two runs in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out eight, walked four and threw three wild pitches.

Bryant's aggressive baserunning led to a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Bryant singled with one out and Anthony Rizzo walked before Caratini struck out on a pitch that bounced to the screen.

Bryant, running on a 3-2 count, scored all the way from second, just beating the play at the plate after Godley had fallen down on the mound following his delivery. Godley recovered in time to cover the plate, but Bryant slid in just ahead of the tag.

"I saw him fall down and I made my mind up really early that I was going," Bryant said. "It was one of those plays, being aggressive and knowing he has some pretty good stuff on the mound. I thought it would be tough to score runs today. It's important to get on the ball early.

Baez singled with one out in the second, was sacrificed to second and scored on Jon Jay's double for a 2-0 lead.

Ketel Marte and Gregor Blanco walked to open the fifth inning before a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly by David Peralta made it 2-1.

NOTES: Arizona LHP Robbie Ray reported no ill effects from a 50-pitch simulated game Saturday, but there remains no timetable for his return to the rotation. "I think a (rehab) game where he can feel out how he is doing would be needed," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. ... Cubs SS Addison Russell (foot) was eligible to return from the disabled list Saturday, but it is unclear if he will return during Cubs' upcoming seven-game homestand. "I'd be surprised," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. ... The Cubs will have "American Legion" week this week, when players are encouraged to report late to the clubhouse for the entire seven-game homestand. The concept is curtailing work on the field and while tapping into a player's younger days. "I want them to come out and play just like when they were kids," manager Joe Maddon said. "Don't overthink it. Don't overwork it. Don't over-video it. Don't over-data it. Just go play some baseball." Beer sausages will be served. ... The teams drew 123,110 for the three-game series. The Cubs spend spring training in suburban Mesa and chants of "Javy, Javy" were heard after his homer.

Merrifield helps Royals trounce White Sox

(TSX / STATS) -- CHICAGO -- Whit Merrifield and Jorge Bonifacio homered to lead the Kansas City Royals in a 14-6 rout of the Chicago White Sox on Sunday afternoon.

Merrifield drove in five runs and No. 9 batter Drew Butera had a career-high four hits for the Royals, who won two straight to take the three-game series against Chicago following a five-game losing streak.

The White Sox had won four of their last five games. They were trying to win back-to-back series for the first time since mid-June.

Royals left-hander Jason Vargas (14-6) allowed three runs, struck out seven and walked two in six innings to match his career high for victories in a season. He also won 14 games in 2012 with Seattle. Vargas was 1-3 with a 6.94 ERA in five starts since the All-Star break.

White Sox starter Derek Holland (6-12) made his shortest start of the season, allowing seven runs in two innings and snapping Chicago's streak of four consecutive quality starts. He gave up seven hits, a home run and three walks.

The Royals, who were a game back in the American League wild-card race pending late afternoon play, scored four runs in the second, third and sixth innings. Butera singled to load the bases in the second inning before left fielder Leury Garcia committed a throwing error to bring in the first run. Lorenzo Cain's single drove in two runs before he advanced on a wild pitch, stole third and scored on Melky Cabrera's single.

Bonifacio led off the third with his 15th home run, and Merrifield added his 14th, a three-run shot in the third inning.

Tim Anderson hit a two-run home run, his 13th, and Jose Abreu had an RBI single to cut Kansas City's lead to 8-3 in the fifth. Center fielder Cain made a running catch near the wall to end the inning with two on.

Bonifacio's RBI single, Cheslor Cuthbert's sacrifice fly and Merrifield's two-run triple scored four more runs for the Royals in the sixth.

The White Sox put up a three-run spot in the seventh. After an error, Avisail Garcia had a two-run double and Nicky Delmonico added an RBI double. Delmonico has reached base safely in 12 straight games to start his career, extending the team record. He stretched his hitting streak to 10 games.

Kansas City also had an impressive defensive play in the second. With two on, shortstop Alcides Escobar ended the inning with a running, underhanded catch in center field.

The Royals took a 7-6 lead in the teams' season series.

NOTES: Royals RHP Jake Junis (4-2, 4.70 ERA) is expected to start Monday against Oakland. He is 3-5 with a 2.92 ERA with Triple-A Omaha. Junis will be filling in for RHP Trevor Cahill (right shoulder impingement), who went on the 10-day disabled list Thursday. ... White Sox 3B Matt Davidson (right wrist contusion) said he is still having issues swinging a bat and will be reevaluated in the next couple of days. He went on the 10-day disabled list Aug. 8, retroactive to Aug. 4. He will join the team on its trip to Los Angeles but not play. ... 1B Jose Abreu is the first player in White Sox history to start his major league career with four straight 20-home run seasons, according to STATS LLC. He hit his 20th home run Saturday. ... The Royals rallied to beat the White Sox 5-4 Saturday for their 34th comeback victory of the season, tying them for third-most in the majors with the Diamondbacks and one fewer than the Angels and Dodgers. Kansas City is one comeback victory short of last season's total.

Drury, Corbin pace Diamondbacks past Cubs

(TSX / STATS) -- PHOENIX -- Patrick Corbin and Brandon Drury experienced plenty of down moments as the Arizona Diamondbacks went into a significant slump. But they combined to give Arizona a huge lift -- and a big win -- against a team they might see again in October.

Drury's two-run double keyed a four-run sixth inning that broke up Chicago Cubs starter Jon Lester's pitching duel with Corbin, and the Diamondbacks ended a three-game losing streak with a much-needed 6-2 win on Saturday night.

Arizona had dropped five of six before Saturday's victory.

"It was a good win -- we needed it," Corbin said.

Corbin (9-11) was coming off two successive rough starts that included a 16-4 loss to Chicago on Aug. 1 in which he allowed eight runs in three innings. On Saturday, he consistently shut down Cubs threats while allowing five hits in 6 2/3 scoreless innings.

"I've been thinking about it because I knew I was going to face them again," Corbin said. "I just wanted to go out there and have a good outing. I've been thinking about it a lot."

Archie Bradley followed with 1 1/3 scoreless innings, but closer Fernando Rodney gave up Kris Bryant's two-run single in the ninth to end the shutout. David Hernandez came on to strike out Ben Zobrist looking with two runners on for his second save of the season and first with Arizona.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon was upset with home plate umpire Mark Wegner's called third strike to end the game, saying Wegner knows he missed the call.

"I'm sure he's watched it, it was a ball obviously," Maddon said.

The Cubs' 10th loss in 27 games since the All-Star break dropped them into a virtual tie with streaking St. Louis for the NL Central lead. The Cardinals (61-56) won their eighth in a row, holding off Atlanta 6-5. The Cubs (60-55) have led the division for 19 consecutive days.

"It's never easy," Bryant said. "It's never easy."

Lester matched zeroes with Corbin until the game fell apart for Chicago in the sixth. Adam Rosales led off that inning with a single and, after an A.J. Pollock groundout, the Cubs elected to intentionally walk Paul Goldschmidt, who had four homers in his previous two games against them.

"I'd do it again and again and again. It was the right thing to do," Maddon said. "It just didn't work."

The strategy backfired when J.D. Martinez lined a double to right field for the game's first run.

Shortstop Javier Baez threw the ball 10 feet over catcher Alex Avila's head for a two-base error while trying to get Goldschmidt at the plate on Ketel Marte's grounder.

"We had some mistakes in the field which we should tighten up a bit," Bryant said.

Drury, formerly an everyday player but starting at second base for the first time in seven games because of his defensive liabilities, drove a two-run double to center field to make it 4-0. That helped him make up for failing to turn a routine double play in the first, a potentially costly mistake that Chicago didn't capitalize on.

"it's not always going to be smooth -- it's been rough lately and sometimes the game will kick you down," Drury said. "I think it will make me better, make me a better player from it. My head is down and I'm working every day to help this team win games."

Lester (8-7) left an inning later after David Peralta's leadoff double. Hector Rondon gave up Pollock's run-scoring single before working out of further trouble.

Peralta finished it off with an inside-the-park homer in the eighth -- his 12th homer of the season -- against reliever Jason Grimm, a shot off the center field wall that ricocheted wildly and allowed Peralta to score easily. It was Arizona's second inside-the-park homer of the season, with Marte getting one at Chase Field against Atlanta on July 26.

"I took a peek," Peralta said, "and I saw the third base coach sending me home and I'm like, `I'm out of gas.' I didn't slide home at home plate, I just let myself down. I was out of breath. That was my first one, and that was a pretty special moment for me."

Corbin gave up 14 runs (10 earned) in nine innings in his previous two starts, only to shut down the Cubs by striking out eight and walking one. Lester permitted four runs (three earned) and seven hits despite striking out nine in six-plus innings.

Bryant has reached base nine times in 10 plate appearances in the series on five singles, a double, two walks and a hit-by-pitch. He was 3-for-4 Saturday, with a flyout in the seventh with two on and two outs.

The Cubs threatened in the fifth after leadoff singles by Baez and Avila and Lester's well-placed sacrifice bunt. But Baez was thrown out at the plate trying to score on Albert Almora Jr.'s grounder -- the call was upheld on replay -- and Anthony Rizzo's long drive with the bases loaded and two outs was caught just short of the right field fence by Martinez.

Chicago also couldn't score in the first when the Diamondbacks failed to convert two double-play grounders. Drury's throwing error negated one and Corbin failed to cover first on the other, but Corbin pitched out of trouble by getting Ian Happ to ground out with two on.

In the bottom of the inning, Peralta and Rosales singled in succession off Lester, but the Cubs converted a double play on Pollock's grounder and Goldschmidt struck out.

Arizona put runners on first and third with two outs in the fourth, but Drury popped up to end the threat.

NOTES: Cubs manager Joe Maddon started the left-handed-hitting Kyle Schwarber -- despite his .193 average -- against LHP Patrick Corbin because of his power potential. But Schwarber struck out in his first three at-bats. ... Arizona All-Star LHP Robbie Ray threw a simulated game as he recovers from taking a 108 mph line drive off his head on July 28 in St. Louis. ... CF Albert Almora Jr. became the 10th Cubs hitter to bat first this season. ... Chicago lost for only the fourth time in its last 17 road games. ... Corbin is 7-3 at home, 2-8 on the road.

Cabrera homers to send Royals past White Sox

(TSX / STATS) -- CHICAGO -- Melky Cabrera harbors no hard feelings toward the Chicago White Sox for dealing him to the Kansas City Royals before the trade deadline.

However, Cabrera did not mind hitting a go-ahead home run to help beat his former team.

"I've got a lot of friends over there," Cabrera said through an interpreter. "I liked it there. But I'm here with Kansas City now, and I'm trying to help this club win."

Cabrera's two-run home run in the eighth inning keyed the Royals' 5-4 win on Saturday night. Eric Hosmer also homered as Kansas City (58-58) snapped a five-game losing streak.

Kansas City manager Ned Yost enjoyed the celebratory rap music playing in the locker room as he conducted a postgame interview in his office.

"These kind of wins are the wins that help you stop the bleeding," Yost said. "We have been struggling, and you get a great pitching performance by your starter. ... It was huge to answer back."

Jose Abreu hit a pair of solo home runs to lead the White Sox at the plate. Leury Garcia drove in two more runs for Chicago (45-69), which had its four-game winning streak come to an end.

Cabrera stung his former team to erase a 4-3 deficit in the eighth. He lifted a low pitch to the opposite field for his 16th home run of the season and his third since Kansas City acquired him from Chicago.

"(The pitch) ended up staying out over the plate," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "He put a good swing on it. Melky does what he sometimes does -- he drove it out of the ballpark."

Royals left-hander Scott Alexander (3-3) earned the win in relief. He replaced right-hander Ian Kennedy, who allowed three runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.

The White Sox's comeback attempt fell short in the ninth as Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas made a diving stop on a ground ball by Adam Engel that could have tied the game. Moustakas climbed to his feet and fired a strike to first base for the final out.

"I knew I had to be ready," Moustakas said. "I got a pretty good read on the hop, so I was able to get there and make a play on it."

White Sox left-hander Aaron Bummer (1-3) took the loss out of the bullpen after allowing Cabrera's home run.

The bullpen loss negated a solid outing by White Sox right-hander James Shields, who gave up three runs in six innings. He walked one and struck out eight, which marked a season high.

"It was nice to get some swings and misses today, get some strikeouts when I needed it" Shields said.

Right-hander Kelvin Herrera pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his 25th save for the Royals.

Abreu pulled the White Sox within 3-2 in the sixth inning when he belted his second home run of the game and his 21st of the year. The 410-foot shot over the left-field wall gave him nine career multi-homer games.

Garcia gave Chicago a 4-3 lead with a two-out, two-run single in the seventh. His line drive up the middle scored Tim Anderson and Omar Narvaez, who slid just in front of an attempted tag by catcher Drew Butera.

The Royals grabbed an early lead on Hosmer's solo home run into the left-field bleachers in the first inning. The blast marked Hosmer's 19th home run and his third in the past seven games.

Kansas City added two more runs in the second to increase its advantage to 3-0. Alcides Escobar ripped a triple to the wall in right-center field, which scored Mike Moustakas. Three batters later, Whit Merrifield singled to center field to push Escobar across the plate.

Chicago trimmed the deficit to 3-1 in the fourth on Abreu's 20th home run. Abreu became the first player in White Sox history to hit 20-plus homers in each of his first four seasons.

"He continues to impress by the way he goes about doing his business," Renteria said. "He's a really good example to everybody about staying the course, working hard."

NOTES: White Sox OF Avisail Garcia returned to the starting lineup Saturday after receiving a day off because his legs were tired. He went 2-for-3. ... Royals C Salvador Perez (strained intercostal muscle) played catch Saturday and might try to take some swings next week as he nears a return. Perez has been out since Aug. 5 ... White Sox DH Matt Davidson (bruised right wrist) will remain on the 10-day disabled list for an indefinite period after experiencing a setback. Davidson was injured Aug. 1 when he was hit by a pitch from Toronto Blue Jays RHP Marcus Stroman. ... Royals OF Melky Cabrera extended his hit streak to eight games.