Streaking Cubs Get Past Pirates
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CHICAGO (AP) -- Nico Hoerner hit a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 on Monday night for their season-high fifth straight win.
Hoerner finished with two hits and two RBIs. Rafael Ortega homered for Chicago, and Adrian Sampson pitched seven innings of two-run ball.
Seiya Suzuki set up Hoerner's clutch hit when he reached on rookie shortstop Oneil Cruz's throwing error. Suzuki advanced on Ian Happ's groundout and then hustled home on Hoerner's drive into the gap in right-center.
"He wants that moment probably more than anyone I've been around," Cubs manager David Ross said of Hoerner. "Nice base hit for him there."
Mychal Givens (6-2) worked the eighth for the win, and Scott Effross got three outs for his first save in three chances.
Josh VanMeter hit a tying RBI double for the Pirates in the fifth. Cruz singled home a run, and Yerry De Los Santos (0-2) got the loss.
Pittsburgh has dropped two straight and seven of nine overall.
Ortega's fifth homer -- a two-out drive to right against JT Brubaker in the third -- gave Chicago a 2-1 lead. Ortega also singled in the first, stopping an 0-for-29 slump.
"It's been fun to watch," Sampson said. "We're playing good baseball right now."
Brubaker allowed eight hits, struck out four and walked two in six innings.
LAST STAND?
The Cubs are expected to be sellers at the Aug. 2 trade deadline, so the two-game set against Pittsburgh could be the last one in the home dugout at Wrigley Field for several players.
Happ, an All-Star outfielder, said he was doing his best to take it all in before Chicago hits the road. Ross added he wasn't manipulating the lineup to give players a last go-round at the iconic neighborhood ballpark.
"I find out (about a trade) about five seconds before the player does," he said.
The waiting seems to have taken a toll on All-Star catcher Willson Contreras, who got emotional talking about the leadup to the deadline.
"I'm just trying to appreciate everything and all the memories I have here," he said. "Probably my last homestand."
CELEBRITY STRETCH
Actor and Chicago native Bob Odenkirk, who plays the titular character in the TV series "Better Call Saul," led the crowd in the seventh-inning stretch singalong.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Pirates: OF Bryan Reynolds (right oblique strain) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. OF Jake Marisnick (turf toe) was placed on the 10-day IL on Sunday.
UP NEXT
Pittsburgh's Bryse Wilson (1-5, 6.52 ERA) faces fellow right-hander Keegan Thompson (7-4, 3.43 ERA) on Tuesday afternoon in the series finale.
PHILLIES 6, BRAVES 4
Bryson Stott homered, doubled and drove in five runs to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-4 comeback victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.
Alec Bohm doubled and had three hits for the Phillies, who rebounded from a three-game sweep at home against the Chicago Cubs last weekend.
REDS 11, MARLINS 2
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Jonathan India hit his first career grand slam and Brandon Drury connected for a three-run shot, helping Cincinnati pound banged-up Miami.
India and Donovan Solano each had three hits as last-place Cincinnati improved to 9-4 in its last 13 games.
Miami had 15 players on its injured list, hurting its chances for staying in the NL wild-card race. The Marlins dropped to 3-12 against the Reds since 2019.
ORIOLES 5, RAYS 1
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Ryan Mountcastle hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in a four-run fifth inning that sent Baltimore over Tampa Bay.
Austin Voth and five Baltimore relievers kept Tampa Bay's offense from delivering the big hit. The Rays left 10 men on base, including six in the first three innings.
ROCKIES 2, BREWERS 0
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Kyle Freeland pitched four-hit ball over seven innings, Daniel Bard worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth and Colorado avoided a four-game sweep with a victory over Milwaukee.
Elias Diaz had a homer that helped the Rockies beat the Brewers for the first time in their last nine meetings.
ROYALS 7, ANGELS 0
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Zack Greinke combined with four Kansas City relievers to hold scuffling Los Angeles to five hits and Michael A. Taylor drove in three runs in the win.
Emmanuel Rivera drove in a run during a four-run seventh, and MJ Melendez added a two-run homer in the eighth, helping to position the Royals for another shot at their first four-game win streak this season on Tuesday night.
TIGERS 12, PADRES 4
DETROIT (AP) -- Eric Haase hit a grand slam off Sean Manaea, Jeimer Candelario homered twice and Detroit routed San Diego.
Miguel Cabrera hit his 506th career homer in the sixth inning and moved past Al Simmons for 13th on the career RBI list with 1,840.
Manaea (5-5) was tagged for a career-worst nine runs in 3 1/3 innings, and his replacement, left-hander MacKenzie Gore, was pulled with an apparent arm injury.
DIAMONDBACKS 7,
GIANTS 0
PHOENIX (AP) -- Merrill Kelly threw eight innings of three-hit ball, Carson Kelly had a pair of doubles and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the skidding San Francisco Giants 7-0 on Monday night.
The right-hander retired the first 15 batters he faced, but gave up a leadoff double to Luis Gonzalez in the sixth. The grounder down the first-base line wasn't hit particularly hard, but stayed just inside the bag and well out of reach for first baseman Christian Walker.