Baez's 2 homers power Lester, Cubs over Dodgers
LOS ANGELES — Javier Baez hit two home runs, including a grand slam, Jon Lester won his sixth consecutive start and the Chicago Cubs ended a five-game losing streak with a 9-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night.
Baez homered in consecutive innings, giving him 16 on the season, and finished with four hits. He hit a solo shot off Dodgers starter Ross Stripling in the fifth inning and his bases-loaded shot in the sixth into the Dodgers' bullpen came against reliever Edward Paredes.
Stripling (6-3) gave up just one run over five innings before the Cubs broke open the game with six runs off the bullpen. The Dodgers lost for just the sixth time in 22 games in June.
It was Baez's fourth multi-homer game and his second this season. His grand slam was the fourth of his career.
Lester (10-2) gave up two runs on four hits over five innings. It was his shortest outing by innings since April 11, when he also went five against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and his 82 pitches were his fewest since throwing 71 on opening day in Miami.
Lester has a 1.73 ERA over his last 11 starts, going back to April 30, and hasn't lost since May 23. He is tied with Washington's Max Scherzer for the NL lead in wins.
Yasiel Puig was doubled off trying to scramble back to first base in the second, failed to grab Ian Happ's line drive into the gap in right-center for an error in the sixth, and twice allowed the Cubs to take an extra base on throws back to the infield.
Clay Bellinger had two of the Dodgers' four hits off Lester and now has 19 hits in his past 18 games, including seven of his 15 home runs. Austin Barnes had an RBI single for the Dodgers in the fifth inning.
The Dodgers have a major league-leading 48 home runs in June but did not hit one Tuesday.
The Cubs sent nine batters to the plate in their big sixth inning. Adison Russell and Ben Zobrist hit RBI singles in the frame to go along with Baez's grand slam. Willson Contreras added an RBI single in the eighth inning and Albert Almora had an RBI single in the ninth.
The Dodgers' Enrique Hernandez and Justin Turner each stole third base uncontested in the eighth inning with the Cubs' infield overloaded on the right side in an extreme defensive shift. Hernandez and Turner both ended up scoring in the inning.
Cubs: 3B Kris Bryant (left shoulder inflammation) was placed on the 10-day DL, retroactive to June 23, but is not expected to miss more than 10 days, according to manager Joe Maddon. RHP Brandon Morrow (lower back tightness) is expected to come off the DL on Wednesday. . RHP Justin Hancock (right shoulder inflammation) was placed on the 10-day DL. RHP Yu Darvish (right triceps tendinitis) will throw a bullpen this week before the Cubs decide if he will need another rehab start or rejoin the active roster.