Cubs aim to extend winning streak against Braves.
ATLANTA (AP) — The Cubs are on the roll that had been long expected from the defending World Series champions.
Manager Joe Maddon said he likes the momentum created by a season-best six straight wins and feels even better about the positive energy in his clubhouse.
Mike Montgomery hit his first career home run and allowed two hits and one run in six innings to lead streaking Chicago to an 8-2 win over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.
Javier Baez hit a threerun homer in the eighth for Chicago, which hasn't lost since the AllStar break. The Cubs completed a three-game sweep of the Braves.
"It's even beyond that," Maddon said when asked about the winning streak. "It's just how we're starting to feel about ourselves. Yeah, the momentum is part of it but we've had this energy since the beginning of the second half in Baltimore."
The mood might have been spoiled if not for an encouraging report on Kris Bryant, the Cubs' 2016 NL MVP who left the game with a sprained left little finger in the first inning.
"I don't have any final conclusions but I think we really kind of dodged the bullet right there," Maddon said.
The team said X-rays were negative and Bryant is day to day.
Tommy La Stella, who replaced Bryant, also homered and Addison Russell drove in two runs with four hits, including two doubles.
The Cubs came to Atlanta only one-half game ahead of the Braves in the NL wildcard standings. Now they're bearing down on NL Central-leading
Milwaukee.
"That's not a team that's going to stay dormant," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "They're too good for that."
The Braves loaded the bases with three singles off Koji Uehara in the eighth. After Pedro Strop replaced Uehara, Matt Kemp grounded into a double play to end the inning.
Montgomery (2-6) earned his first win since June 20. The only run he allowed came on a sixth-inning leadoff homer by Ender Inciarte. It was Montgomery's best start since throwing six scoreless innings in a 4-0 win over San Diego on June 20.
Tyler Flowers led off the seventh with a homer off Justin Grimm.
Montgomery reached the second level of the right-field seats with his homer off R.A. Dickey (6-6) in the fifth inning. After the game, he found the home run ball had been left in his locker.
"The first homer obviously is pretty exciting," Montgomery said. "I had a bunch of family here so to do it in front of them was a lot of fun."
Bryant's injury scare threatened to spoil the Cubs' win.
After hitting a double to center field off Dickey, Bryant tried to advance to third on a pitch in the dirt. He slid head-first and was thrown out by Flowers. Bryant immediately looked at his left hand while still on the ground and when he rose to his feet. ROCKIES 18, PADRES 4 DENVER (AP) — Nolan Arenado lined three homers as part of his five-hit afternoon and tied a career-high with seven RBIs, helping the Rockies complete a three-game sweep of the Padres.
Trevor Story and Charlie Blackmon also homered on a scorching day when the Rockies had a season-high 21 hits.
Gerardo Parra ran his streak of reaching base to 10 straight plate appearances over three games before flying out in the fifth.
He finished with four singles.
Arenado had a pair of RBI singles to start the game, followed by solo shots in the fourth and fifth innings, and a three-run homer in the sixth.
He had a chance at a fourth homer in the eighth and lined out to left.
Jon Gray (3-1) kept the Padres in check until running out of steam. The right-hander allowed all four of his runs in the sixth — his last inning of work.
Padres starter Clayton Richard (5-10) lasted just 3 2/3 innings and gave up 11 runs, 10 earned, inflating his ERA from 4.75 to 5.35.
He also matched a team record by allowing 14 hits.
GIANTS 5, INDIANS 4 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Buster Posey pinch hit a two-out, tworun double in the bottom of the eighth inning and San Francisco defeated Cleveland.
Posey, on a scheduled rest day, doubled off the wall on a 3-2 slider on the seventh offering from Indians reliever Bryan Shaw (2-4).
The Indians lost for the sixth time in seven games as they concluded a 1-5 West Coast trip.
The American League Central front-runners fell to 4-13 in interleague and are winless in six interleague series.
Cory Gearrin (4-3) faced just one batter in the top of the eighth for the win.
TWINS 6, YANKEES 1 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Miguel Sano hit a three-run home run, Jose Berrios went strong into the seventh inning and Minnesota beat New York to win its first home series against the Yankees in nine years.
Berrios (9-3) allowed only one run, his fewest in 11 starts, on a two-out single by Brett Gardner in the seventh before being removed.
Berrios improved to 6-0 in seven afternoon turns this season and helped drop the Yankees to 0-8-2 in their past 10 series.
Zack Granite sparked a six-run surge by the Twins in the second inning against Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery (6-5) with a two-run single, his first major league RBIs.
Eduardo Escobar tacked on an RBI single before Sano crushed an 0-2 curveball into the bullpen for a 6-0 lead. The All-Star has 23 homers this year. PHILLIES 10, MARLINS 3 MIAMI (AP) — Daniel Nava tied a career high with four hits and Philadelphia had a season-best 20 hits to beat Miami and win a road series for only the third time this season.
Nava singled in each of his first four at-bats, drove in two runs and increased his average to .300.
The Phillies completed a 3-3 trip but still have the worst record in the majors.
Miami's Giancarlo Stanton hit his 30th homer to forge a tie with the Yankees' Aaron Judge for the major league lead in homers. Christian Yelich hit his ninth homer for the Marlins.
Both homers came against Nick Pivetta (3-5), who has allowed 16 homers in 69 1/3 innings this season.
Dan Straily (7-5) lost for the first time since June 5. He allowed four runs in five innings. MARINERS 4,
ASTROS 1 HOUSTON (AP) — James Paxton had another strong start against Houston and rookie Ben Gamel powered the offense with a two-run homer to give Seattle a win over the Astros.
Paxton (9-3) allowed six hits and one run in seven innings, after not allowing a run in his previous two starts against Houston this season.
It's the fourth straight win for Paxton, who struck out seven.
Houston starter Charlie Morton (7-4) retired the first nine batters and the Astros led 1-0 before Jean Segura led off the fourth with a single.
Gamel's first homer since June 23 came next to put Seattle up 2-1.
Segura had two hits and Robinson Cano and Mike Zunino drove in a run apiece for the Mariners, who won for the sixth time in seven games.
Edwin Diaz pitched a scoreless ninth for his 18th save. ATHLETICS 7,
RAYS 2 OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Sonny Gray struck out six pitching into the seventh in what might have been his final home start in Oakland if the club tries to deal him before the trade deadline, and the Athletics rallied in the fifth inning to beat Tampa Bay.
Matt Joyce hit a towering homer to the rightfield seats in the eighth for Oakland.
Gray (6-4) won his third straight start and fourth in five.
When speculation arose from the White Sox side before his Friday outing that the right-hander had been scratched because of a possible deal, the A's quickly announced that he was indeed taking the mound for his scheduled outing.
Oakland got to Tampa Bay right-hander Jake Faria (4-1) in the fifth. With seven straight quality starts to begin his career, Faria took his first big league loss.