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    Chicago Cubs’ Christopher Morel hits first career home run in major league debut

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    Chicago Cubs infielder Christopher Morel made an immediate impact in his first major league appearance on Tuesday night in the team’s 7-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

    Morel pinch-hit for third baseman Patrick Wisdom in the eighth inning and in his first at-bat he hit a solo home run to go up 7-0.

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    Cubs’ Christopher Morel celebrates at home plate after hitting a solo home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

    According to MLB.com, Morel told Willson Contreras he would hit his first-career home run in his first at-bat like the catcher did during his debut six years ago.

    Morel went down 0-2 in the count before he hit the dinger.

    ASTROS BLAST RED SOX’S NATHAN EOVALDI WITH 5 HOMERS IN 2ND INNING, FAN REAPS BENEFITS

    Cubs’ Christopher Morel watches his solo home run in his first major league at bat Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

    “I concentrated. And I said, ‘I can do it. I can do it. I’ve done it before, so I can do it right now.’ That’s what I was thinking,” Morel said.

    Contreras jumped over the dugout railing and started to celebrate.

    “I’ve known this guy for a really long time, and he makes me proud,” Contreras said after the game. “It was amazing. He told me [he would homer], and I felt like he was going to get something done. But I was thinking of a base hit. Just a base hit. Just blooper. Just something positive. And once I saw the ball going out, I was like, that was a no-doubt. That kid has some pop in his bat.”

    Morel was called up to the big leagues on Monday. He was in the top 25 on the Cubs’ prospects list, according to MLB Pipeline.

    Cubs’ Christopher Morel reacts after hitting a solo home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

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    He was hitting .306 with a .945 OPS and seven home runs at Double-A Tennessee before joining the Cubs.

    Willson Contreras hits 1st-inning slam, Cubs beat Pirates 9-0

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    Willson Contreras led off with a double and became a rare leadoff hitter with a first-inning grand slam as the Chicago Cubs burst to an eight-run lead and beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-0 on Monday night.

    Contreras became the 10th leadoff hitter since 1901 with a first-inning slam, the first since Houston’s George Springer off Kansas City’s Edinson Vólquez on June 24, 2016. The slam was the 100th homer of Contreras’ career, making him the third Cubs catcher to reach that mark along with Gabby Hartnett and Jody Davis. Contreras became the first Cub with two extra-base hits in an inning since Javier Báez on May 1, 2019.

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    “It’s good to know,” said Contreras, who was the designated hitter Monday. “It’s better to know I’m the third Cub to hit 100 homers as a catcher and making history. It makes me proud.”

    Wade Miley (1-0) retired his first 14 batters before Michael Chavis lined a single to left and ended a 13-inning hitless streak for Pittsburgh batters. The Pirates didn’t get any hits in a 1-0 win over visiting Cincinnati on Sunday and had not gotten a hit since Rodolfo Castro’s seventh-inning single during Saturday’s 3-1 win.

    “Yesterday we just saw a guy with electric stuff,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said of Reds rookie Hunter Greene. “Today we saw a veteran pitcher who works fast and knows how to execute pitches. We got behind, and he did a nice job of that.”

    Chicago Cubs’ Willson Contreras celebrates his grand slam off Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Bryse Wilson during the first inning of a baseball game Monday, May 16, 2022, in Chicago.  (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

    Miley started the season on the injured list with elbow inflammation and made his second start with Chicago after he was claimed on waivers from the Reds in November. He allowed one runner in seven innings and struck out six, throwing 83 pitches.

    After getting a big early lead, the left-hander worked fast and kept Pirates hitters off balance.

    “It was good,” Miley said. “I was happy. A lot of runs early. They got a little aggressive (at the plate) and we used that against them a little bit. … I don’t necessarily pitch fast for that reason. The defense loves it. I started doing it in college, but it’s more frustrating on them (hitters).”

    Miley’s previous win was on Sept. 7, 2021 at Wrigley Field when he beat the Cubs as a member of the Reds.

    Michael Rucker finished with two-hit relief, and the Cubs won their third straight.

    Pittsburgh is batting .223 this season.

    Ian Happ had three hits, including a double in the first, and scored three runs as Chicago ended a six-game slide at home and improved to 5-11 at Wrigley Field. Yan Gomes also had three hits, including a double.

    Contreras led off with a double off Dylan Peters (3-2) and scored Chicago’s first run, then lined his fourth slam to left- center off Bryse Wilson on the first pitch of his second at-bat.

    Happ also had two hits in the first as the Cubs chased Peters, who faced seven hitters and retired only two. All five Cubs who reached against Peters scored.

    Wilson was charged with the next three Chicago runs.

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    SUPER SOUVENIR

    Contreras got his 100th home run ball back from the fan in the bleachers who caught it in exchange for some other gear. Contreras said he would give the ball to his father for safe keeping.

    PIRATES MOVE

    Pittsburgh claimed 30-year old C Tyler Heineman off waivers from Toronto. Heinman has appeared in 30 major league games with three teams. The Pirates designated C Andrew Knapp for assignment.

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Cubs: SS Andrelton Simmons was in the starting lineup for the first time with the Cubs after being out with right shoulder inflammation since spring training. The 11-year veteran made his Cubs debut as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning at Arizona on Sunday after being activated from the injured list. Simmons, who signed a one-year contract with Chicago in March, said his shoulder is “OK, but there’s room for improvement.” … Manager David Ross said RHPs Marcus Stroman and David Robertson, both on the IL with no designation, continue to make progress, but there’s no date for their return.

    UP NEXT

    Pittsburgh RHP JT Brubaker (0-3, 5.34) starts against Chicago RHP Keegan Thompson (2-0, 1.67) on Tuesday night.

    Walker Buehler stars in 100th career start as Dodgers sweep Cubs

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    Walker Buehler marked his 100th career start with his usual performance.

    Cool. Calm. Efficient.

    Buehler pitched seven sparkling innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the sliding Chicago Cubs 7-1 on Sunday night for their sixth consecutive victory.

    “Tonight was all about Walker,” manager Dave Roberts said.

    Sure was.

    Buehler (4-1), a two-time All-Star who made his big league debut in 2017, improved to 3-0 with a 0.43 ERA over his last three outings. The right-hander allowed one run and four hits, struck out six and walked two.

    “Typical Walker,” teammate Gavin Lux said.

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    Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler throws against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, May 8, 2022.  (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

    The 27-year-old Buehler has permitted two runs or less in five of his six starts this season. His first career win against the Cubs was his 15th start of at least seven innings since the beginning of the 2021 season, third-most in the majors during that span.

    He has come a long way since he tossed five scoreless innings in a no-decision against Miami in his first major league start on April 23, 2018.

    “I think I just pitch a little bit now,” Buehler said. “I think back then I kind of tried to pick my leg up and throw it by everyone. Trying to mature a little bit that way maybe.”

    Cody Bellinger had three hits for Los Angeles, and Justin Turner and Freddie Freeman each contributed a sacrifice fly. Mookie Betts went 2 for 5 while extending his hitting streak to a team-high nine games.

    Chicago lost for the 14th time in 17 games. It managed just three runs and 15 hits in the three-game sweep by Los Angeles.

    “We played a couple teams lately that feels like we’re chasing that kind of championship-caliber baseball,” manager David Ross said. “We’ll get there.”

    The Cubs had to shuffle their rotation after Marcus Stroman was scratched, and then they lost Justin Steele to a left hand injury.

    Stroman was placed on the injured list without a designation, likely meaning the right-hander was shelved by a COVID-19-related issue.

    Steele (1-4) stepped in, making his first appearance since April 30. But he departed before the fifth inning, sidelined by left thumb soreness.

    “Just like gripping the slider, when I was pushing down on the bottom of the ball, it was just sore on the top of my thumb and then it just kind of wasn’t getting better,” Steele said. “I was trying to stretch it out in between innings and stuff.”

    The Dodgers jumped all over Michael Rucker after Steele trudged into the dugout. With the bases loaded and none out in the fifth, Lux scored on Trea Turner’s double-play ball for a 3-1 lead. Betts then scampered home on a wild pitch.

    Freeman’s sacrifice fly made it 5-1 in the seventh, and the NL West leaders tacked on two more runs in the ninth — helped by an error on shortstop Nico Hoerner.

    WORTH NOTING

    The Dodgers will go with a spot starter Wednesday afternoon at Pittsburgh. Right-handers Andre Jackson and Ryan Pepiot and left-hander Robbie Erlin are among the possibilities.

    Left-hander Justin Bruihl was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City before the series finale against the Cubs.

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Dodgers: Roberts said LHP Victor González (elbow) is going to have arthroscopic surgery Wednesday. Roberts said it is a scope, and the team hopes González will be able to return this season. … RHP Blake Treinen (right shoulder inflammation) was slated for an MRI on Monday, but Roberts said he doesn’t think Treinen is going to see the doctor now. The plan is to try rehab, Roberts said, with the hope of getting the reliever back after the All-Star break. … LHP Andrew Heaney (shoulder inflammation) is planning to play catch Monday. “He’s doing great,” Roberts said. “He’s in a good frame of mind.”

    Cubs: 3B Patrick Wisdom was out of the starting lineup, but Ross said Wisdom was feeling better. He left the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader because of a bruised left ankle.

    UP NEXT

    Dodgers: LHP Julio Urías (2-1, 1.88 ERA) gets the ball Monday night at Pittsburgh. LHP José Quintana (0-1, 3.38) starts for the Pirates.

    Cubs: RHP Kyle Hendricks (1-3, 5.64 ERA) starts Monday night at San Diego in the opener of a six-game trip. LHP MacKenzie Gore (2-0, 1.71) takes the mound for the Padres.

    Tim Anderson homers as White Sox beat Cubs at rainy Wrigley

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    Playing through rainy, windy conditions at Wrigley Field, Tim Anderson and the Chicago White Sox did just enough to win.

    Anderson homered and José Abreu made two nice plays at first base, helping the White Sox beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1 on Tuesday night.

    “It was one of those games that was up there, toughest weather that I’ve probably played in,” Anderson said. “But good thing we got the win, that we (were) able to finish it.”

    The game-time temperature was 45 degrees, and rain blew across the field for much of the night. Even with the extreme weather, each team committed just one error.

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    In a misting rain Chicago White Sox’s Tim Anderson yells out in celebration of his home run off Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Keegan Thompson during the third inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 3, 2022, in Chicago.  (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

    “That was one of the toughest games I think I’ve ever played in,” Cubs second baseman Nick Madrigal said. “Just the constant rain, just wet ball, throwing it. Even hitting, you know there’s rain in your face.”

    Looking to dig themselves out of a rough start, the banged-up White Sox won for the third time in four games. Michael Kopech pitched four-plus scoreless innings, and Jake Burger had two hits.

    Anderson led off the third with an opposite-field drive to right-center on Keegan Thompson’s first pitch of the inning, making it 3-0 with his fourth homer. The dynamic shortstop is batting .359 (14 for 39) in his last 10 games.

    “Staying inside of the baseball. Staying middle to right,” Anderson said, “and that’s just my approach.”

    The Cubs went with a bullpen day after they placed left-hander Drew Smyly on the bereavement list before the first meeting of the season with their crosstown rivals. Scott Effross (0-1) got four outs in his first big league start, allowing two unearned runs and two hits.

    The North Siders put runners on first and second in the third, but Abreu grabbed Seiya Suzuki’s liner and scrambled over to first for the inning-ending double play. The big first baseman started another slick double play in the fifth.

    The White Sox threatened in the top of the fifth, loading the bases with one out, but Abreu bounced into a double play that featured a strong turn by Madrigal.

    Nico Hoerner got the Cubs on the board with an RBI double in the sixth. Yan Gomes then struck out swinging against José Ruiz, stranding runners at second and third.

    “Couldn’t get anything going really offensively,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “Tough conditions.”

    Reynaldo López (3-0), the first of five White Sox relievers, pitched a scoreless inning for the win. Liam Hendriks got three outs for his sixth save in seven chances.

    “Bullpen was outstanding,” White Sox manager Tony La Russa said.

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    White Sox: Burger banged his left knee into the short wall along the line while chasing a foul ball in the third. After testing his legs with a few short sprints, the third baseman stayed in the game. … OF Andrew Vaughn (right hand/wrist) missed his fourth straight game after he was hit by a pitch on Friday. “He’s getting better, but it’s the kind of thing where if he tries to swing sore, might do something unnatural and make it sore,” La Russa said.

    Cubs: C Willson Contreras was out of the starting lineup for the second straight game with an unspecified injury. Ross said Contreras is day to day, and he didn’t want to be specific about his issue “for competitive advantage stuff.” … LHP Wade Miley (elbow soreness) felt good after his bullpen session Sunday. He planned to play catch Tuesday. … SS Andrelton Simmons (right shoulder inflammation) continues to take live BP in Arizona, and he is adding throws across the diamond to his throwing program. … OF Clint Frazier (appendicitis) planned to ride a bike Tuesday as he starts to ramp up his activity. He said the appendicitis was his first surgery ever. “It sucked. It hurt,” a grinning Frazier said.

    UP NEXT

    Right-handers Lucas Giolito (0-1, 2.57 ERA) and Kyle Hendricks (1-2, 5.47) start on Wednesday night. Giolito pitched six innings of three-run ball for the White Sox in a 5-1 loss to the Angels on Friday. Hendricks was tagged for six runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings of an 11-1 loss at Milwaukee last week.

    Former Cubs ace Jake Arrieta says he’s retiring

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    Jake Arrieta, a key pitcher on the Chicago Cubs‘ 2016 World Series championship team, has decided to retire.

    Arrieta made the announcement during a Barstool Sports podcast.

    “I haven’t signed the papers, man, but I’m done. It’s time for me to step away from the game,” he said. “At some point the uniform goes to somebody else and it’s just my time, really.”

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    FILE – Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta tips his cap as he gets a standing ovation from Red Sox fans after carrying a no-hitter to the eighth inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Monday, June 30, 2014. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

    The 36-year-old Arrieta went 5-14 with a 7.39 ERA in 24 starts for the Cubs and San Diego Padres last season. He finishes his career with a 115-93 record and 3.98 ERA in 285 games, 279 starts, over 12 years in the majors.

    Arrieta won the NL Cy Young Award with Chicago in 2015 and helped the Cubs win the 2016 World Series for their first championship since 1908.

    He was first acquired by Chicago in a July 2013 trade with Baltimore, a key move in the franchise’s rise from the bottom of the NL Central to one of the majors’ best teams.

    Arrieta, a fifth-round pick by the Orioles in the 2007 amateur draft, was a dominant force in 2015, going 22-6 with a sparkling 1.77 ERA in 33 starts. He followed his Cy Young campaign with 18 wins and a 3.10 ERA in 31 starts in 2016.

    Arrieta also performed well in the postseason during his first stint with Chicago. He tossed a five-hitter in the Cubs’ 4-0 win at Pittsburgh in the 2015 NL wild-card game. And he won both his World Series starts at Cleveland in 2016, compiling a 2.38 ERA in 11 1/3 innings.

    The 6-foot-4 right-hander signed a $75 million, three-year contract with Philadelphia in March 2018 and went 22-23 with a 4.36 ERA in 64 starts with the Phillies.

    Seiya Suzuki extends hit streak to 6, Cubs down Kris Bryant, Rockies

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    Seiya Suzuki stayed hot with an RBI double in a three-run first inning, Frank Schwindel homered and drove in two, and the Chicago Cubs cooled off Kris Bryant and the Colorado Rockies, winning 5-2 on Thursday night.

    Suzuki extended his hitting streak to six games since joining the majors from Japan and drove in his 10th run when the Cubs collected five straight hits against Kyle Freeland (0-2).

    “I’ll take him every day in my lineup,” Schwindel said of the two-time Japan Central League batting champ. “He’s just fun to be around. He’s a great hitter and he’s got a great eye, which I think is more impressive, adjusting to the pitching here.”

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    Chicago Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki heads to first base as Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Iglesias mishandles the ball for an error in the third inning of a baseball game Thursday, April 14, 2022, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

    Bryant went 2 for 5 and lost a third hit due to Yonathan Daza’s baserunning gaffe as the Rockies had their four-game winning streak snapped in the opener of Bryant’s second series against his former team.

    Bryant, the NL MVP when the Cubs won the 2016 World Series, was traded to San Francisco in July and signed a seven-year, $182 million deal with the Rockies after the lockout.

    Schwindel had a run-scoring single in the first and went deep to right to lead off the sixth after the Rockies had sliced the lead to 3-2. Ian Happ’s RBI single made it 5-2 and chased Freeland, who allowed five runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings.

    “Didn’t have good fastball command, so I had to rely on a lot of my off-speed stuff. And I got singled to death,” Freeland said.

    C.J. Cron had an RBI single off Ethan Roberts, who also walked in a run after replacing Justin Steele with one out in the fifth. Keegan Thompson (1-0) took over and got Elias Diaz to fly to right with the bases loaded to end the inning. Thompson pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

    “I think it’s usually hard to have a really nice curveball in this climate and he looked like he had some pretty good depth to it,” Cubs manager David Ross said.

    Mychal Givens pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save as the Cubs hung on despite hitting into five double plays.

    Bryant singled to left in the third and ninth and hit a liner that fell in front of Happ in left in the fifth. But Daza thought the ball might be caught and was forced at third.

    Bryant was the center of attention before the game.

    “I want to do what I did there for another team,” Bryant said, while noting how few players he knows from the Cubs’ retooled roster. “I enjoyed my time in Chicago, but I don’t know if it warrants a press conference every time I play them.”

    SUZUKI GAFFES

    Suzuki cost the Cubs a run in the third. After reaching on shortstop Jose Iglesias’ throwing error and with Villar at third, Suzuki was doubled off first on Yan Gomes’ one-out flyball to right that should have been a sacrifice fly.

    “I thought it was a double,” Ross said. “It just hung up and (Charlie) Blackmon got to it pretty quick.”

    Suzuki also miscommunicated with second baseman Nick Madrigal on Diaz’s fly to shallow right that fell and was ruled a single in the fourth. But with two on, Steele got Iglesias to ground into an inning-ending double play.

    BRYANT & ROSS

    Bryant and Ross, buddies and former Chicago teammates, traded barbs before the game.

    “It’s hard to see him as a manager because I just think back to ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and ‘Saturday Night Live’ looking like a fool,” Bryant said, smiling.

    Ross reminisced about when Bryant set up his @GrandpaRossy_3 Instagram account in 2016.

    “Why did I have to be Grandpa? I was still playing,” Ross said, adding, “I got to watch him grow from a prospect to MVP and all the things he’s done. And he’s a pretty great human being.”

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Cubs: Ross was back after missing most of Wednesday’s game in Pittsburgh with a stomach illness.

    Rockies: RHP Peter Lambert (forearm inflammation) has begun throwing again in Arizona.

    UP NEXT

    Cubs RHP Marcus Stroman (0-0, 1.80 ERA) faces RHP German Marquez (0-0, 1.29) on Friday night.

    Cards match record with 14th straight win, rip Cubs 12-4

    The surging St. Louis Cardinals emphatically matched a team record with their 14th straight win on Friday night, pounding the Chicago Cubs 12-4 in the second game of a doubleheader behind Tyler O’Neill’s three-run homer and a pair of solo shots by Lars Nootbaar.

    Harrison Bader added a solo drive, double and single as St. Louis batters went deep five times in the nightcap to sweep the twinbill and equal a run set in July 1935. The win streak has rocketed the Cards into control of the second NL wild card, leading Philadelphia by five games.

    Paul DeJong also went deep and Nootbaar added a single for three hits in his first multihomer game as St. Louis pulled away. O’Neill’s homer was his 31st of the season, second of the day and 10th in September.

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    Manager Mike Shildt said the victory mirrored a collective approach that has made the Cardinals suddenly look formidable down the stretch.

    “Today and the whole time, it’s been a complete team effort,” Shildt said. “Across the board, if you look today, you can pretty much name everybody.

    “It’s a special group. You’ve got real pros. When you’ve got that consistency, special things happen.”

    The Cardinals’ marquee names are coming through with big numbers. The rotation is getting healthy. Depth players, like Nootbaar, a 24-year-old rookie, are stepping up.

    “Everybody is kind of feeding off each other’s energy right now,” said Nootbaar, an outfielder who hit his fourth and fifth homers in his 52nd game. “You want to join the party, kind of. When you’re loose and playing your game, you think you can beat anybody.”

    The Cardinals powered past the Cubs 8-5 in the opener, riding O’Neill’s and Paul Goldschmidt’s 30th homers and José Rondon’s pinch-hit two-run shot.

    O’Neill, a 26-year-old Canadian enjoying a breakout season, followed up with a drive to left center in the second inning of the second game to put St. Louis ahead 6-2. Goldschmidt added a pair of singles and an RBI double in the nightcap to give the veteran first-baseman 11 hits — including four homers —in 18 at-bats in his last four games.

    Patrick Wisdom launched his 28th homer and fellow Cubs rookie Frank Schwindel extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a double and a single. Chicago lost its fourth straight and eighth in nine.

    St. Louis starter Jack Flaherty retired just one of four batters he faced in a pitch-count restricted return from a right shoulder strain that had sidelined him since Aug. 25. The right-hander tossed 19 pitches, yielding three runs on two hits — including Wisdom’s two-run shot deep to center.

    Dakota Hudson (1-0), also reinstated from injured list on Friday, replaced Flaherty and allowed two runs on four hits in 3 2/3 innings for the win. Hudson, recalled as the 29th man for the doubleheader, made his first appearance since Tommy John surgery in September 2020.

    “It was just great being able to get back out there,” Hudson said. “I was able to prepare well and Yaddy (catcher Yadier Molina) was running the show for me.

    “Just trusting the defense, being me and seeing what I can do, it was a blast to get back.”

    Chicago’s Zach Davies (6-12) was roughed up for the fourth straight start and lost his sixth consecutive decision. The wiry right-hander allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks in two innings.

    The Cards scored three times in the first before Wisdom’s shot in the bottom half closed it to 3-2.

    O’Neill’s drive opened it to 6-2 in the second. Nootbaar and DeJong homered back-to-back to make it 8-2 in the third.

    Bader and Nootbar hit consecutive solo drives in the seventh

    DOUBLED UP

    The Cardinals’ only road wins during their 1935 streak came in a doubleheader at Wrigley on July 4.

    GOLDI-LOCKED

    Goldschmidt has homered eight times in September to give him 30 or more in six seasons.

    POWER TRIO

    Goldschmidt and O’Neill joined Cardinals third-baseman Nolan Arenado with 30 or more homers. It’s the second time St. Louis has had three hitters with 30 or more. In 2004, Albert Pujols (46) , Jim Edmonds (42) and Scott Rolen (32) combined.

    LESTER RETURNS, AGAIN

    Veteran left-hander Jon Lester is slated to start Saturday against the Cubs, one of his former teams, for the first time since he was traded to the Cardinals.

    Lester, who helped anchor Chicago’s rotation from 2015 through 2020, earned his 200th career win on Monday at Milwaukee. The Cubs recognized Lester’s milestone on the videoboard in left before the second inning of the first game and he doffed his cap from the dugout.

    Lester began the season with Washington, and he lost at Wrigley Field on May 17 in his return to the ballpark. He is 3-0 with a 2.27 ERA in his last six starts.

    Cubs manager and former catcher David Ross had dinner with his former battery mate on Thursday. They won’t be so chummy on Saturday

    “I love Jon Lester like a brother, but I want to kick his tail every time he’s out there,” Ross said.

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Cardinals: SS Edmundo Sosa was in the right hand by a pitch in the sixth first game and left the game. X-rays were negative, but manager Mike Shildt said Sosa might miss up to five games

    Cubs: Placed C Robinson Chirinos on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain and recalled outfielder Greg Deichmann from Triple-A Iowa. Ross said Chirinos will miss the remainder of the season. RHP Jason Adam was promoted from Iowa to serve as the 29th man for the doubleheader and struck out the side in the seventh in the first game. Adam came back after a gruesome left ankle break — the bone tore through his skin — in the minors in May.

    UP NEXT:

    Cardinals LHP Jon Lester (7-6, 4.59) faces RHP Adrian Sampson (3-3, 2.84) on Saturday.

    Wisdom’s 3-run blast out of Wrigley leads Cubs past Rockies

    Patrick Wisdom cracked a tiebreaking three-run homer in the fifth inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Colorado Rockies 5-2 in the first game of a doubleheader on Wednesday.

    Wisdom, a 29-year-old having a breakout season, launched a 1-1 slider from Austin Gomber over the left-field bleachers and onto Waveland Avenue for his 21st home run. Wisdom entered the year with four homers in 48 games over three seasons with the Cardinals, Rangers and Cubs.

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    David Bote and Austin Romine also homered for Chicago, which won its second straight at Wrigley Field after a team-record 13-game home losing streak.

    Overall, Chicago is 4-3 following a 12-game skid.

    C.J. Cron hit his team-leading 22nd homer for the Rockies, who have lost three straight following a five-game winning streak.

    Cubs starter Zach Davies allowed two runs on three hits and struck out six in 4 2/3 innings. The wiry right-hander went 0-4 with an 8.25 ERA in his previous five starts.

    Codi Heuer (5-2) got the next four outs for his first win as a Cub. Adam Morgan pitched a perfect seventh for his first save.

    Gomber (9-8) allowed five runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings. The lefty struck out eight and walked one.

    The twinbill was scheduled after Tuesday night’s game was rained out.

    Cron homered to center off Davies’ 3-0 sinker with one out in the second to give the Rockies a 1-0 lead. Bote went deep to left in the bottom half to tie it.

    Brendan Rodgers singled in a run in the third to put the Rockies back ahead, 2-1.

    Romine lined his first homer in 13 games this season down the left-field line to tie it in the fourth.

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    EXTRA MEN

    The Rockies recalled INF Joshua Fuentes from Triple-A Albuquerque as the 27th man for the second game of the doubleheader. The Cubs hadn’t announced their 27th man before the conclusion of the first game.

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Rockies: LF Connor Joe collided hard with CF Sam Hilliard and dropped to the ground after Joe caught Frank Schwindel’s flyball in the first. Joe remained in the game after being checked by a trainer. … OF Raimel Tapia (toe sprain) will report to Triple-A Albuquerque this weekend for a rehab assignment and could return next week at Texas, manager Bud Black said. Tapia has been on the 10-day injury list since Aug. 8.

    Cubs: Manager David Ross doesn’t know when C Willson Contreras (sprained right knee) will be back behind the plate, but the two-time All-Star could be back in the lineup as a DH this weekend against the crosstown White Sox.

    UP NEXT

    Rockies RHP Germán Márquez (11-9, 3.80 ERA) faces Cubs LHP Justin Steele (2-2, 3.22) in the second game.

    Hendricks keeps Reds in check as Cubs end 12-game skid, 2-1

    Kyle Hendricks’ 200th career appearance was especially satisfying for him and the skidding Chicago Cubs.

    The 31-year-old right-hander not only became the first 14-game winner in the majors, but he helped the Cubs end a 12-game losing streak with six strong innings in a 2-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.

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    “It’s just cool to see everybody come in and execute and do their job and finally see the results,” said Hendricks, who made his first major league appearance on July 10, 2014, in the same Cincinnati ballpark. “It was nice.”

    Hendricks (14-5) gave up three hits in six innings — the only big one a two-out homer by Nick Castellanos in the sixth — as Chicago won for the first time since Aug. 4 in Colorado. The Cubs are 3-15 since selling off their biggest stars at the trade deadline last month.

    Chicago had lost 12 in a row for the first time since 2012.

    Frank Schwindel had a run-scoring double for the Cubs in the third, his sixth straight game with an extra-base hit. Happ homered to right field leading off the sixth, one of his three hits.

    “Kyle giving us the start that he did was huge,” manager David Ross said.

    Cubs reliever Rowan Wick loaded the bases in the seventh but struck out Jonathan India before Adam Morgan came in from the bullpen and got Joey Votto to ground out.

    Codi Heuer retired Cincinnati in order in the eighth and ninth for his second major league save and first this season.

    “We had the top of our order in the seventh,” Reds manager David Bell said. “Those guys have come through time and time again. Give credit to the Cubs pitchers. They made pitches when they had to.”

    Reds rookie Vladimir Gutiérrez (8-4) gave up nine hits while striking out seven over 6 1/3 innings. He won his previous four starts.

    “I felt pretty good about my outing,” Gutiérrez said. “I feel confident with all of my pitches right now.”

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    THAT GUY LOOKS FAMILIAR

    Austin and Andrew Romine became the first pair of brothers to start a game for the Cubs in modern history. (A team historian says it happened once before, in 1894 when the Cubs were known as the Colts.) Catcher Austin, 32, batted seventh and 35-year-old Andrew played shortstop and hit eighth. They were collectively 1 for 7.

    GENO OUT

    Reds third baseman Eugenio Suárez, who has struggled at the plate all season, got a night off. Suárez is hitting .172. He’s third on the team with 23 homers, but has struck out a team-high 144 times. Mike Moustakas, who returned this month from a long stint on the the injured list, started at third.

    GREAT CATCH

    Reds center fielder Shogo Akiyama robbed Jason Heyward of a sure extra-base hit in the fourth inning with a long run and leaping catch just before he slammed into the wall.

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Cubs: Ross said INF Nico Hoerner (strained oblique) hit in the cage and might take batting practice Friday in Chicago. … RHP Adbert Alzolay (hamstring) was on the field pregame jogging and doing agility drills.

    Reds: RHP R.J. Alaniz (calf strain) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list and sent to Triple-A Louisville. … RHP Tejay Antone (forearm strain) is continuing his rehab stint and expected to rejoin the team next Tuesday.

    UP NEXT

    The Cubs plan to call up Adrian Sampson from Triple-A Iowa to start against Tyler Mahle (10-3, 3.58 ERA) in the finale of the three-game series Wednesday afternoon. Sampson last pitched in the majors in 2019 for the Texas Rangers. Mahle scattered three hits over seven shutout innings in a 6-1 win over the Phillies last Friday.

    Votto gets 2,000th hit, Reds hand Cubs 12th straight loss

    Jonathan India homered and drove in five runs, Wade Miley threw seven shutout innings and the Cincinnati Reds beat Chicago 14-5 on Monday night, handing the free-falling Cubs their 12th straight loss.

    Joey Votto, the 37-year-old Cincinnati first baseman who has been on a tear since the All-Star break, got the 2,000th hit of his career, a solid single in the seventh. Votto came up again later in the inning and drove in a run with another base hit during an eight-run Reds outburst.

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    Miley (10-4) allowed four hits and struck out seven as the Reds won for the ninth time in 13 games and moved within 1 1/2 games of San Diego for the second NL wild card.

    “Ain’t nothing better than playing meaningful games late in the season,” Miley said. “And hopefully we can keep going and just see where this thing takes us.”

    Following a huge selloff at the trade deadline last month, the Cubs have lost 12 in a row for the first time since 2012.

    India’s two-out drive into the upper deck in the fourth scored Miley and gave the Reds a 2-0 lead. Aristides Aquino and Tucker Barnhart also slammed two-run homers.

    Cincinnati’s outburst in the seventh was highlighted by India’s bases-loaded double, his third hit of the night.

    Cubs right-hander Justin Steele (2-2), making his second major league start, allowed five hits and two runs over four innings.

    Chicago scored five runs off two Reds relievers in the eighth, but Jeff Hoffman retired the side in order in the ninth.

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    JOLTIN’ JOEY

    Votto became the second major league player to get his 2,000th hit, 300th home run and 1,000th RBI in the same season. Hall of Famer Billy Williams did it with the Cubs in 1971. Votto joins Johnny Bench as the only Reds with 2,000 hits and 300 homers, and his 26 homers this season are his most since he hit 36 in 2017.

    “More than anything, to be done with a game and get a win and also to feel momentum toward something we’re collectively doing, and then to be a part of that with these individual milestones, is really pretty special,” Votto said.

    Cubs manager David Ross was a catcher with the Reds during Votto’s rookie year in 2007.

    “Having seen him early on in his career, it was pretty special to see him become a mainstay here in Cincinnati,” Ross said.

    REALLY, THE DOG ATE IT

    Votto said he got the ball from his first major league hit but gave it to his dog Maris, who promptly chewed it beyond recognition. He said he’s not sure what he’ll do with the ball from No. 2,000.

    A BAD RUN

    After shedding their biggest bats in a trade-deadline fire sale, the Cubs continue to swoon. They are 2-15 since July 30 and haven’t won since Aug. 6. Combined with an 11-game skid June 25 to July 6, this marks the first time the club has had multiple double-digit losing streaks in one season since 1954.

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Cubs: RF Jason Heyward (index finger inflammation) was activated from the 10-day injured list Sunday and was in the lineup. OF Greg Deichmann was sent back to Triple-A Iowa to make room.

    Reds: LF Jesse Winker (intercostal strain) went on the 10-day injured list. Winker missed three games with the injury, a strain of the muscles around the ribs. Then he aggravated it after returning to the lineup Sunday, exiting after three innings. … INF José Barrero — known last season as José Garcia and expected by many to be the Reds’ shortstop of the future — was called up from Triple-A Louisville.

    UP NEXT

    Right-hander Kyle Hendricks (13-5, 4.15 ERA) starts for the Cubs against Reds RHP Vladimir Gutierrez (8-3, 3.95). Hendricks had a rough outing Thursday in Chicago’s loss to the Brewers, giving up nine runs and 11 hits in four-plus innings. Gutierrez has pitched at least six innings in his last four starts, winning them all.