Happ right at home in Cubs' victory over Pirates

(TSX / STATS) -- PITTSBURGH -- It was Ian Happ's second trip home as a major-leaguer, and the Chicago Cubs' rookie made sure what surely was his final game at PNC Park this season was a good one.

"It's always great for me to come home and play at PNC. I had a lot of family and friends out there," Happ, from suburban Mt. Lebanon, said after he had three hits, scored twice as the Cubs' leadoff batter and threw a runner out at home from center field in Chicago's 8-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Cubs (77-63) salvaged a split in the four-game series after dropping the first two by a combined 16-3.

Albert Almora Jr. hit a two-run homer, and Anthony Rizzo went 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBIs and two walks as Chicago pounded out 13 hits to back starter Jon Lester, who got stronger over the course of his six innings.

"Yeah, it was a good day all around for the whole team," Happ said. "Jonny fought hard and pitched a heck of a game, and everybody did their part on offense."

Chicago scored a run in each of the first four innings, then scored two in the fifth for a 6-1 lead. Almora's homer made it 8-1 in the seventh.

"We put up that picket fence early," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "We could have scored a lot more runs. We left a lot of chicken on the bone."

Chicago left seven on and was 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

Pittsburgh (67-74) added a run in the eighth on Jordan Luplow's RBI double.

Lester (10-7), in his second start after coming off the disabled list, gave up one run and five hits in his six innings. He set the Pirates down in order in the fifth and sixth. He walked four and struck out five.

"The first couple innings, (I was) able to get ahead of guys, just wasn't really able to get them out as quickly as we would have liked to," Lester said. "Whether that's a little bit of rust or being too fine, I don't know, but we got through it and a couple good defensive plays helped."

Lester kept the Pirates off-balance.

"Veteran guy making pitches," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "We had some punch-outs looking. You normally want to get guys on and run them into the barrel. You have to put some balls in play."

Pittsburgh starter Jameson Taillon (7-6) gave up six runs and 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings, with one walk and three strikeouts. Taillon hasn't won since Aug. 11 but was coming off a no-decision against Cincinnati in which he pitched six scoreless innings.

"Frustrating, I guess, is probably the best word," Taillon said. "I felt strong. I felt great. But no one cares how you feel. You've got to go out, get results and get guys out. I feel great, but they were just hitting every single mistake I made."

Hurdle said earlier that Taillon, 25, might be asked to skip his next start or perhaps even get shut down for the rest of the season.

Maddon can see why.

"That kid's so good," Maddon said. "He might be losing a little steam right now. He wasn't as sharp as I've seen him in the past."

Chicago got the leadoff batter on base in four of the five innings Taillon started.

In the first, Happ singled to right, went to third on Kris Bryant's double off the wall in right and scored on Rizzo's sacrifice fly.

The Cubs made it 2-0 when Javier Baez led off the second with a double to the corner in left, went to third on a grounder and scored on Rene Rivera's sacrifice bunt. Taillon fielded the bunt but twisted his body awkwardly and stumbled a bit as he turned to make the throw to first. He was briefly seen by a trainer.

Taillon might have had an RBI in the second, but Happ scooped up his single to shallow center and gunned down Jordy Mercer trying to score from second.

"How about the throw to the plate?" Maddon said. "I didn't really pick up on how tight he was until once he made the throw."

Happ led off the third with a double high off the wall in right and, an out later, scored on Rizzo's single up the middle for a 3-0 lead.

Pittsburgh scored in the third to make it 3-1. Starling Marte and Max Moroff walked and moved up on Andrew McCutchen's groundout. Marte scored on Josh Bell's groundout.

Chicago increased its lead to 4-1 in the fourth on Lester's RBI double after back-to-back, one-out singles by Jason Heyward and Rivera.

In the fifth, Baez drove in a run with a sacrifice bunt and Heyward rapped an RBI double for a 6-1 lead as Chicago chased Taillon.

NOTES: The start was delayed 53 minutes by rain. ... Pittsburgh RHP George Kontos (groin) was reinstated from the disabled list. ... Pittsburgh RF Gregory Polanco (hamstring) and INF/OF Adam Frazier (hamstring) could come off the DL on Friday for the series opener at St. Louis, manager Clint Hurdle said. ... Chicago begins an important NL Central series Friday against Milwaukee. RHP John Lackey (11-10, 4.74 ERA) faces the Brewers RHP Jimmy Nelson (11-6, 3.59) in the opener.

Indians defeat White Sox for record 15th straight win

(TSX / STATS) -- CHICAGO -- As dominant of a pitcher as Corey Kluber may be, when the Cleveland Indians ace is provided with an early dose of offense, he becomes even more dangerous.

And at a time when the Indians already seem untouchable, lights-out pitching and timely hitting are proving to be a winning combination.

Kluber struck out 13, and Erik Gonzalez hit two of Cleveland's five homers as the Indians won a franchise-record 15th straight game, beating the Chicago White Sox 11-2 on Thursday night.

The Indians won 14 straight last season, and they became the first team since the 1935-36 Chicago Cubs to win 14 or more consecutive games in back-to-back seasons.

Edwin Encarnacion, Francisco Lindor and Greg Allen also went deep for the Indians.

Kluber (15-4) cruised after the Indians jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and kept adding to it with the collection of home runs.

"When you've got a guy like Kluber on the mound and you score early, man, it sure makes you feel good," Indians manager Terry Francona said.

As good as Francona may have felt about Thursday's team record-setting result that comes a season after the Indians won an American League pennant, he and his team aren't getting too wrapped up with such things.

"One game at a time," Kluber said of the Indians' approach. "It sounds boring, but that's what we're doing -- coming to the field every day prepared to win that day's ballgame."

Kluber, who struck out at least 10 for the 14th time this season, allowed three hits and two runs while walking one over seven innings. He retired 20 of the final 22 hitters he faced.

Gonzalez, who homered in the third and ninth innings, drove in four runs. Allen hit his first career home run as part of a three-run seventh inning. Lindor went 3-for-6 with three runs and finished a double shy of hitting for the cycle.

It was more than enough for Kluber, who recovered after giving up a pair of solo home runs in the first inning.

"(It was just about) adjusting to what their approach was," Kluber said. "I just kind of felt like they were swinging at every pitch hoping it was going to be a fastball, but when we went to more off-speed, it took them awhile to make the adjustment."

The Indians jumped on White Sox emergency starter Mike Pelfrey (3-11) for four first-inning runs. After Lindor's leadoff triple, Austin Jackson followed with an RBI double. Pelfrey then walked Yandy Diaz before Encarnacion hit a three-run home run to stake Cleveland to a 4-0 lead.

Lindor led off the second inning with a solo home run before Gonzalez drilled a two-run homer off Pelfrey in the third inning to extend the lead to 7-2.

Pelfrey, who started after left-hander Carlos Rodon was forced to miss his scheduled start with shoulder stiffness, gave up seven runs and eight hits over four innings. Pelfrey struck out four and walked three.

Rodon said after the game that his shoulder didn't feel right while he was warming up. He felt tightness and knew he couldn't go.

That forced manager Rick Renteria's hand.

"You hate to use a guy and wear him out, but (Pelfrey) was going to eat up as many pitches as he could, hold as many innings as he could get through," Renteria said.

The White Sox got on the board in the first inning when Yolmer Sanchez and Jose Abreu each both hit solo home runs. But it was far from being enough to slow down the Indians, who will look to extend their winning streak on Friday at home against the Baltimore Orioles after going 11-0 on the road trip that concluded Thursday night.

"It's lots of fun," Lindor said. "We've won lots of game because everybody is contributing and everybody is doing what they're supposed to do. The whole team is having fun -- it's not just one player."

NOTES: Indians 3B Yandy Diaz left the game due to a left elbow contusion after being hit by a pitch. ... Cleveland 3B Jose Ramirez missed the game with a sore right wrist. Manager Terry Francona said Ramirez could miss a couple of games. ... RHP Jake Petricka was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a right elbow strain. Manager Rick Renteria said he was uncertain whether Petricka, who is 1-1 with a 7.01 ERA in 27 appearances, would return this season. ... White Sox OF Willy Garcia was sent on a rehabilitation assignment to Class A Kannapolis. Garcia has been on the DL since Aug. 1 after sustaining a concussion following a collision with teammate Yoan Moncada.

Cubs beat Pirates 1-0 on Avila's triple in ninth

(TSX / STATS) -- PITTSBURGH -- It wasn't a trick question. Just an inquiry about an unusual situation.

So, Alex Avila, how many broken-bat triples have you had in your career?

"Not many," Avila said, shaking his head. "I haven't broken many bats (at all), either."

Avila hit just such a liner down the right-field line in the ninth inning Wednesday night. It drove in the only run to break up a pitchers' duel as well as Chicago's three-game losing streak, lifting the Cubs to a 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

Anthony Rizzo drew a one-out walk against Pittsburgh reliever Daniel Hudson (2-6) in the ninth. Pinch-runner Leonys Martin stole second, and after Ian Happ struck out, Avila drove in the winner.

Chicago (76-63) has a chance to split the four-game series Thursday. The Pirates (67-73) saw their four-game win streak end.

Pedro Strop (4-4) pitched the eighth inning for the win. Wade Davis tossed the ninth for his 29th save.

Pitching was the story for most of the game as starters Gerrit Cole and Jose Quintana matched shutout innings.

Cole, the Pittsburgh starter, in particular, was stellar. He pitched eight scoreless innings, giving up two hits -- an infield single by Javier Baez in the second and a broken-bat single to left by Jon Jay in the eighth. He struck out eight and walked four, throwing 108 pitches.

"Cole pretty much had no-hit stuff," said Avila, who struck out two of the three times he face Cole. "The way he was locating with 97 (mph on his fastball), slider, curveball, he was excellent. You just had a feeling that we weren't going to have many opportunities against him. If he made a mistake, we weren't able to capitalize on it.

"He had unbelievable stuff. Just try to outlast him and keep the game where it was until we got into their bullpen and see if we got an opportunity there."

It was a strong bounce-back effort from Cole's previous start, when he gave up five earned runs in six innings against the Cincinnati Reds, but he still hasn't won at PNC Park since June 13.

"I was able to get the pitch count back down in the middle innings," Cole said. "They needed to try to put something together and we just kept making good pitches early in the count and got rewarded for it."

Quintana, who won three of his previous four starts, threw six scoreless innings. He allowed six hits and one walk with six strikeouts. He threw 105 pitches.

"I felt pretty good," Quintana said. "It was a battle, a really good game, both starters. My mind was, 'Keep the game close.'"

The Cubs had runners on first and second in each of the first two innings. After back-to-back one-out walks in the first, Cole got Rizzo to ground into a double play.

The Cubs got a two-out walk and Baez's infield single in the second before Cole struck out Quintana.

Cole, particularly in the first, showed some frustration with the calls from plate umpire Paul Nauert.

"It wasn't like he wasn't efficient in the first," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "There was some calls that could have gone our way and could have shortened that inning up. To make the pitch to get out of that inning was pretty impressive, as well, and then he just stayed on a roll."

Quintana's strikeout was the start of Cole's string of setting down 14 Cubs in a row, until Happ drew a one-out walk in the seventh. Happ advanced to second on a grounder but was stranded.

Pittsburgh got runners to first and second with two outs in the fourth, but Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant made a leaping snag of a liner by Jordy Mercer to end the inning.

"You have to pitch better than good pitching to win. We did," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "That's exactly what happened.

"We had a real (good) level of mental energy; it's just that their pitcher was that good."

NOTES: Pittsburgh RF Gregory Polanco and INF/OF Adam Frazier, both on the disabled list with hamstring injuries, ran the bases. ... Pittsburgh C Francisco Cervelli (left quadriceps) has hit a plateau in his rehab. ... Pittsburgh RHP George Kontos (groin) threw a simulated game Tuesday with no problems afterward or Wednesday. ... Pittsburgh RHP Ivan Nova is expected to start Sunday at St. Louis after his spot was skipped Tuesday so he could regroup. ... Chicago C Willson Contreras (hamstring) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Thursday with high Class-A Myrtle Beach. ... Cubs 2B Ben Zobrist was given the night off from the starting lineup in favor of Tommy La Stella, who went 0-for-3. ... Chicago hired former major leaguer Will Venable as a special assistant to the president and general manager.

Indians extend win streak to 14 behind Carrasco 3-hitter

(TSX / STATS) -- CHICAGO -- Carlos Carrasco delivered a three-hitter as the Cleveland Indians claimed a landmark victory on Wednesday night.

The Indians tied a franchise record with their 14th consecutive victory, beating the Chicago White Sox 5-1 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Carrasco came within one out of a memorable shutout performance before giving up a two-out, ninth-inning home run to Adam Engel.

However, Carrasco hardly disappointed with the body of work.

"Everything was good today ... fastball, curve, slider," he said. "But as I said before, I think it was more important that we won the game."

Carrasco (14-6) struck out nine, walked none and threw 97 pitches.

Indians catcher Roberto Perez was disappointed that the shutout slipped away.

"I wanted to call a shutout," he said, "but (Carrasco) was awesome tonight. They got two (early) base hits, but right after those two base hits, we got a double play. He made pitches when we needed to, and we got out of trouble."

Cleveland (83-56) improved to a season-high 27 games above .500 and remained 11 games ahead of the second-place Minnesota Twins in the American League Central.

"This shows what kind of team we are and how we're playing baseball," Perez said. "We're having fun out there and competing. It's fun when guys grind out at-bats, try to get on base and take advantage of the opportunities."

Chicago (54-84) dropped its third straight.

Tyler Naquin's fourth-inning sacrifice fly brought home Carlos Santana. In the eighth, Santana padded the lead with a two-run homer, his 23rd long ball of the season.

White Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez (0-3) worked six innings, allowing one run, six hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

"He did a great job today. The numbers looked good, they could have been even better," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "As well as Lopey threw well, the game just didn't look clean, and our guys know it."

The Indians collected eight hits, three from Santana, who also walked.

With Cleveland up 1-0, Francisco Lindor's bid to double the lead was denied in the seventh. A potential home run was grabbed over the top of the left field fence by Nicky Delmonico.

Santana greeted reliever Danny Farquhar with a towering two-run homer to right with no outs in the eighth inning, driving in Edwin Encarnacion a 3-0 lead.

Farquhar went on to load the bases -- still with no outs -- for Perez, who reached based on an error while grounding into a fielder's choice. Greg Allen scored from third for a 4-0 lead.

Farquhar departed for right-hander Dylan Covey, who gave up a final run as Allen grounded into a ninth-inning fielder's choice to score Jose Ramirez.

Cleveland came up short on two early scoring opportunities.

The Indians had Lonnie Chisenhall at third with one out in the first but couldn't bring him home.

In the second, Naquin doubled up the middle with one out, moving Yandy Diaz to third. But Perez struck out looking and Lindor popped out along the third base line.

Santana led off the Indians' fourth with a single to center, reached second on a Diaz base hit and moved to third on a wild pitch -- all with no outs. This time, the Indians produced a run as Naquin's sacrifice to left brought Santana home for a 1-0 lead.

Carrasco, meanwhile, kept the White Sox off the bases, retiring the first 12 batters he faced and striking out the side in the fourth.

Carrasco gave up a base hit up the middle to Avisail Garcia to open the fifth, but Garcia was snuffed out on a subsequent double-play grounder by Delmonico.

"There are games -- not a ton -- over the course of a year when everything falls into place," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Tonight, everything was working for (Carrasco)."

Cleveland set a team record for consecutive victories in 2016, winning 14 straight between June 17 and July 1.

NOTES: The Indians are an major-league-best 35-11 since July 21 and 10-0 on their road trip that ends Thursday in Chicago. ... Cleveland will open a 10-game homestead on Friday, starting with a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles. ... The Indians send RHP Corey Kluber (14-4, 2.56 ERA) against White Sox LHP Carlos Rodon (2-5, 4.15) on Thursday in the teams' final meeting of the season. ... RHP Michael Kopech, among top prospects in the White Sox organization, visited Guaranteed Rate Field. "I brought my glove if they need me," he said. ... Before the game, the White Sox reinstated INF/OF Nicky Delmonico (sprained right wrist) from the 10-day disabled list.

Indians win 13th straight, pound White Sox

(TSX / STATS) -- CHICAGO -- Cleveland Indians starter Danny Salazar didn't last an inning in his first game back off the disabled list.

Fortunately the bullpen -- seven different relievers -- stepped into the breach as the Indians beat the Chicago White Sox 9-4 on Tuesday for their 13th straight victory.

Cleveland (82-56) used four home runs -- including a pair from Jose Ramirez -- to account for most of its runs.

"You never want to see your starter struggle, obviously he's coming off an injury and we really didn't know what to expect," said right-handed reliever Dan Otero, who pitched the second and third innings and eventually claimed the victory. "But we're prepared for anything from the first pitch on. These situations arise and you can't mope. You have to go in there and pitch."

Salazar, activated from the 10-day disabled list (right elbow inflammation) after missing two turns, lasted only two-thirds of an inning and was charged with all four Chicago runs.

"If there's a hiccup along the way, you've probably got a pretty good chance of losing," said Indians manager Terry Francona.

But the Cleveland bullpen collectively turned in a shutout over the next 8 1/3 innings while giving up nine hits, striking out nine walking three.

Jose Ramirez homered twice while Austin Jackson and Yan Gomes each added solo shots as the Indians moved one win shy of matching the franchise's all-time winning streak of 14, set between June 17-July 1, 2016.

Chicago (54-83) dropped its second straight.

Ramirez went 2-for-5 while Edwin Encarnacion and Carlos Santana also had two hits apiece.

Rob Brantly, Avisail Garcia and Tim Anderson each had a pair of hits for the White Sox.

Otero (3-0), the third of eight Indians pitchers, earned the victory in a two-inning effort. He allowed two hits and struck out one.

White Sox starter David Holmberg (2-4) took the loss after working three innings. It was his first start since June 26.

Gomes closed the Cleveland scoring with a three-run homer -- his 11th of the season -- with two out in the ninth off White Sox reliever Chris Beck. The homer brought home Santana and Lonnie Chisenhall.

The Indians opened a 2-0 lead with back-to-back first inning solo home runs from

Jackson and Ramirez. Jackson's homer to left was his seventh.

It was third time this season Cleveland has homered in consecutive at-bats.

Encarnacion scored from third to make it 3-0 on Brandon Guyer's fielder's choice grounder to short.

But the lead was short-lived.

Salazar gave up a fielder's choice grounder to Jose Abreu that allowed Yolmer Sanchez to score from third.

Matt Davidson then clubbed his 24th homer of the season, a two-out shot that brought home Garcia and Brantley for a 4-3 Chicago lead.

"They jumped ahead and then we came back," said White Sox manager Rick Renteria. "They went nine up to the plate in the first and we did the same thing. We were able to capitalize on the long ball that Matty (Davidson) hit and we were right there."

Salazar, quickly pulled for right-hander Nick Goody, threw 26 pitches and allowed four earned runs on one hit, walked two, hit a batter and struck out one in 2/3 of an inning of work.

"(Salazar's) arm feels good because he was firing it," said Francona. "He just had no idea where it was going. He had no feel for his changeup and he was erratic with his fastball."

Goody walked two more before Adam Engel flied out to end a 46-minute first inning.

Ramirez slugged his 25th home run and second of the game with two out in the second, a solo shot to left off Holmberg to force a 4-4 tie. It was sixth career multi-homer game, all this season.

Greg Allen doubled in Guyer and Gomes in the third for a 6-4 Cleveland lead. Allen was caught in a rundown while trying to stretch the hit into a triple.

Holmberg lasted three innings, allowing six runs on six hits. He walked four and struck out two.

NOTES: Starting pitcher Danny Salazar was among three Cleveland transactions Tuesday. They also called up RHP Shawn Armstrong and OF Tyler Naquin from Triple-A Columbus. ... The Indians send RHP Carlos Carrasco (13-6, 3.67 ERA) against White Sox RHP Reynaldo Lopez (0-2, 6.06) in Wednesday's middle game. ... OF Eloy Jimenez was named the White Sox Minor League Player of the Month while RHP Michael Kopech was named Pitcher of the Month on Tuesday. ... Chicago reinstated INF Yoan Moncada from the 10-day disabled list (bone contusion of the right shin) and inserted him in the lineup. The White Sox also called up LHP Jace Fry from Double-A Birmingham and requested waivers on LHP Derek Holland. Fry made his big league and faced three ninth inning batters, giving up a single to one and walking another.

Freese caps Pirates' comeback vs. Cubs

(TSX / STATS) -- PITTSBURGH -- The Chicago Cubs' roller-coaster season hit another dip Tuesday.

After losing their previous two games, the Cubs seemed set up for a relatively painless win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Then the eighth inning happened.

That's when David Freese singled to cap a 4-3 comeback victory for the Pirates over the Cubs.

With Chicago leading 3-2 in the eighth, the Pirates tied it 3-3 when Max Moroff lifted a single into left field to score John Jaso from third. Moroff spoiled a strong effort from Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks, who allowed two runs and five hits with two strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.

"Good hitting by Marte, a softy by Moroff and all of a sudden we're in trouble," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "You think you can at least get out of it with a tied game, but Freese hits a bullet up the middle and that's it."

Freese singled to center to drive in Moroff from second, handing right-handed reliever Carl Edwards Jr. (3-4) the loss.

"I didn't really know if he was going to drop the curveball in," Freese said, "chose to stay hard and got a good swing on it."

Left-handed reliever Wade LeBlanc (5-2) pitched three perfect innings for the win and closer Felipe Rivero pitched a perfect ninth for his 18th save.

"We pitched well enough to stay in the hunt and in the game, and then found a way late," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "It was a fun game to watch and we just stayed after it."

Pittsburgh (67-72) extended its winning streak to four games.

The Cubs (75-63), who scored one run in the first inning and two in the third, have lost their past three games.

After winning six straight from Aug. 28 to Sept. 2, they lost 12-0 to the Pirates on Monday, one day after losing 5-1 to the Atlanta Braves.

"It's just been that kind of year, but we're good where we are right now," Hendricks said. "We just have to keep taking it day to day. Not every year is going to be like last year. I think we moved on from that. We know that. It was just such a special year for us.

"His is baseball. This is how you play. Those teams are good that we're playing against and they're bringing their best."

Before it seemed like it would come to an end, the Pirates' attempt at extending their winning streak started well.

Rookie right fielder Jordan Luplow gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead in the second inning with a two-run homer, the second home run of his career. Luplow previously homered against the Cincinnati Reds on Sept. 2, when he had three RBIs.

That lead didn't last, though. Ian Happ drove in two runs with a single to center in the third to put the Cubs ahead 3-2.

Chicago had a chance to break the game open later in the inning when Pirates starter Steven Brault hit Victor Caratini to load the bases with one out. Rene Rivera flied out to right and Hendricks grounded out to leave the runners stranded.

The Cubs took a 1-0 lead when Ben Zobrist scored Jon Jay on a sacrifice fly in the first inning.

Brault made his first major league start after 14 relief appearances for the Pirates during the past two seasons. He allowed three runs and eight hits in five innings.

"There were some times that I felt really good, but things didn't quite go as I would like to," Brault said. "Gave up some soft hits, gave up some beats. Overall, I felt pretty good. It was a good place to start."

NOTES: Cubs C Taylor Davis was recalled from Triple-A Iowa. The 27-year-old hit .297 with six home runs and 62 RBIs in 102 games with Iowa this season. ... Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo and RF Jason Heyward each didn't start after going 0-for-4 in Chicago's 12-0 loss Monday. ... The Pirates skipped RHP Ivan Nova's scheduled start and instead decided to go with LHP Steven Brault, who made his first MLB start. Nova has lost six of his past seven decisions dating to July 23. ... The Pirates announced the signing of general manager Neil Huntington and manager Clint Hurdle to four-year contract extensions. Hurdle is 576-534 in seven seasons as Pirates manager.