Lackey masters elements, Braves
CHICAGO — Asked about the wind blowing in at Wrigley Field, John Lackey smiled. It was one of those seen-it-all grins that arrive after years in the majors.
“If it’s blowing in here, yeah, you use it,” he said.
He used it quite well Friday.
Lackey pitched seven crisp innings, Javier Baez’s daring baserunning paid off again and the Chicago Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves 2-0 for their fifth straight win.
Lackey (11-10) allowed three hits, struck out five and walked none in seven innings while improving to 6-1 with a 3.83 ERA in nine starts since the All-Star break. The 38-yearold right-hander retired the final 16 batters he faced after a second-inning single by Dansby Swanson.
The Braves put together their best scoring opportunity in the first. Ender Inciarte hit a leadoff single and advanced on a wild pitch, but Lackey struck out the side.
Lackey “got tougher as we went, and his breaking ball was a better pitch for him,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “Just couldn’t get anything going.”
Atlanta lost for the fifth time in seven games, wasting a solid start by Mike Foltynewicz (10-11). The right-hander, who is from the Chicago area, allowed two runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings in his fifth consecutive loss.
The NL Central leaders, who won for the 11th time in 14 games, grabbed the lead for good on another exciting trip around the bases for Baez.
The athletic infielder reached on a leadoff walk in the third and advanced on Lackey’s sacrifice. After Ben Zobrist flied out to center, Kyle Schwarber hit a dribbler up the third-base line. Foltynewicz slid to get to the ball and made a strong throw to first, but Schwarber beat it out for an infield hit.
Running all the way, Baez tried for home and slid in safely ahead of catcher Kurt Suzuki’s tag attempt. Baez stole home in Wednesday night’s 17-3 victory over Pittsburgh, and he also made a perfect slide when he scored the winning run in a 6-5 victory against Toronto on Aug. 20.
Rizzo doubled and scored on Ian Happ’s single in the fourth, and that was more than enough for Lackey and three relievers. Pedro Strop and Brian Duensing worked the eighth before Wade Davis finished the four-hitter for his 28th save in as many chances.
Roster changes
On the first day of expanded rosters across the majors, Atlanta recalled left-handed pitchers Rex Brothers and Max Fried and infielder Rio Ruiz from Class AAA Gwinnett. Catcher Tony Sanchez also was promoted, while infielder Micah Johnson was designated for assignment.
The Braves acquired Sanchez when they traded infielder Brandon Phillips to the Los Angeles Angels late Thursday night.
Phillips, 36, was in his first season with Atlanta, which acquired him after he spent 11 productive years with Cincinnati. He had been solid for the Braves, batting .291 with 11 homers and 52 RBIs.
A late scratch from the Braves’ lineup before their game against the Cubs on Thursday, Phillips — who played baseball at an Atlanta-area high school — spent most of the night speaking to family members by phone while he considered whether to accept the trade.
“I let my family make the decision for me,” Phillips said. “It was really tough to leave the team that I grew up watching. This decision was much harder than leaving the Reds, honestly, just being around the family and stuff like that.”
Atlanta agreed to pay the Angels $990,437 on Sept. 30 as part of the trade. As part of the February trade to Atlanta, Cincinnati agreed to pay the Braves $10.75 million and cover the $2.25 million in deferred payments Phillips is owed as part of his $14 million salary this year.
Unlike the Braves, the Angels are still in the playoff race.
“The dream is to get a (World Series) ring, and that’s what I have a chance of really doing right now,” Phillips said. “I hope that I can help the team out.”