Arrieta wins again as Cubs beat Giants 8-1
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Jake Arrieta continued his impressive pitching and Kris Bryant provided the power as the Chicago Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants 8-1 on Friday night.
The Cubs won in Arrieta's 22nd consecutive start going back to last season, with their ace going 16-0 over that stretch. They won on the road for the 24th time in 29 games as they snapped San Francisco's eight-game winning streak.
Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward left the game in the bottom of the first inning after crashing into the wall on a diving catch.
Heyward is under evaluation for an injury to his right torso abdominal region, the Cubs said.
Heyward chased a shot over his head off the bat of Denard Span, robbing the Giants' leadoff man of extra bases on the third pitch he saw from Arrieta (8-0).
Arrieta, who leads the majors with a 1.29 ERA, allowed four hits, struck out eight and walked one in seven innings.
Bryant was 2 for 5 with four RBIs, including a three-run homer to left off Jake Peavy (1-5) that highlighted a five-run outburst in the second inning.
After Bryant's homer, Anthony Rizzo chased Peavy with a single to right that snapped his streak of 13 consecutive hitless at-bats.
Peavy allowed five runs, seven hits and two walks after 1 2/3 innings. He threw 55 pitches.
Ben Zobrist homered into McCovey Cove for his sixth homer, becoming just the 38th opposing player and the second Cub (Corey Patterson is the other) to reach San Francisco Bay's waters with a "splash hit." Zobrist's homer extended his hitting streak to seven games and his on-base streak in games in which he's started to 26.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Cubs: OF Matt Szczur, on the DL with a strained right hamstring, began a rehab assignment on Thursday with Double-A Tennessee, going 1 for 2 with a walk, a run and a strikeout. Friday's Smokies' game was rained out. Szczur was eligible to come off the DL on Wednesday.
Giants: RHP Sergio Romo, out since April 15 with a strained right hip flexor, threw 24 pitches in an extended spring training game on Friday, manager Bruce Bochy said. Romo will start a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday and is expected to be activated within two weeks.
UP NEXT
Cubs: LHP Jon Lester (4-2) has allowed one or fewer runs in six of eight starts. He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning his last time out against Pittsburgh (a 2-1 Pirates victory in which he was tagged with the loss). Lester is 3-0 with a 1.11 ERA against the Giants.
Giants: RHP Matt Cain (0-5) has a 1.80 ERA with 13 strikeouts and two walks over his last two starts. In his previous six starts he was 0-4 with a 7.84 ERA. Cain is 6-4 with a 3.84 ERA in 17 games against the Cubs.