Cubs beat Brewers 4-1
CHICAGO (AP) - Jon Lester pitched 6 2/3 gutsy innings, Kris Bryant hit a two-run homer and the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-1 on Sunday night to take a weekend series between the top teams in the NL Central.
Lester (3-1) gave Chicago exactly what it needed a day after it used seven relievers during a 2-1 victory in 15 innings. Taking the mound on a rainy, cold night at Wrigley Field, the ace left-hander allowed an unearned run and nine hits while throwing a season-high 116 pitches.
Bryant had three hits and scored three times, reaching safely for a career-best 22nd straight game and helping the division-leading Cubs close out an 8-2 homestand. Javier Baez collected two more hits, extending his hitting streak to a career high-tying 11 games.
Milwaukee wasted a solid start by Jhoulys Chacin (3-4), who permitted two runs, one earned, and six hits in six innings. The Brewers finished with nine hits, but left nine runners on base.
After Baez's two-out RBI double gave Chicago a 2-1 lead in the fifth, Milwaukee put runners on the corners with no outs in the sixth. Lester wiggled out of the jam with some help from Baez, who cut down Jesus Aguilar at the plate when the big first baseman tried to score on Hernan Perez's one-out grounder to shortstop.
Lester departed with runners at the corners in the seventh, and Brandon Kintzler struck out Aguilar looking to end the inning. Kintzler also worked the eighth -- making an impressive grab on Ben Gamel's inning-ending liner -- and Steve Cishek finished for his second save.
Bryant gave Chicago a 4-1 lead when he drove a 3-1 pitch from Adrian Houser deep to left-center with two outs in the seventh. It was Bryant's seventh homer in his last 15 games and No. 8 on the year.
Bryant also reached on an error in the first and scored on Willson Contreras' grounder to first. The Brewers tied it at 1 in the fourth when Christian Yelich reached on a three-base error by left fielder Kyle Schwarber and scored on Aguilar's single.
Schwarber got turned around while going after Yelich's drive. He also committed an error that led to a run in Lester's previous start against Miami.