Schwarber hurt, but Cubs win 14-6
PHOENIX - Anthony Rizzo matched his career high with 6 RBIs and the Cubs beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 14-6 on Thursday night but lost Kyle Schwarber with a sprained ankle in an outfield collision.
Schwarber was hurt in the second inning when he collided with Dexter Fowler, a play that resulted in an inside-the-park home run for Arizona's Jean Segura.
Segura also started the game with a homer. He is the eighth player in major league history to lead off with a home run and hit an inside-the-park homer in the same game.
John Lackey (1-0) gave up 6 runs on 8 hits over six innings in his Cubs debut, but got the win thanks to a five-run Chicago fourth inning. The Cubs opened the season with three straight road wins for the first time since 1988 and have scored 29 runs in the process.
Rizzo had a three-run homer, two-run triple and RBI single. He had six RBIs in a game twice before, the last time on the same field on May 23, 2015.
The Diamondbacks were up 3-0, 4-2 and 6-4 but starter Rubby De La Rosa (0-1) couldn't hold the leads. The right-hander lasted just 3 1/2 innings, allowing seven runs and six hits.
With two outs in the second, Segura hit one to deep left-center, Schwarber converging on it on the run from left field and Fowler from center. They came together on the warning track, in front of the 413-foot sign, their legs tangled as the ball rolled away. Schwarber, the fourth overall pick in the 2014 draft and Chicago's backup catcher, stayed on the ground for several minutes before being helped to his feet and taken from the field in a cart.
The Cubs said X-rays were negative for any fracture but an MRI was scheduled for Friday.
Segura raced around the bases for the 11th inside-the-park homer in franchise history. It was the first inside-the-park home run in Segura's career and his second two-homer game.
Lackey, who signed a two-year, $32 million contract in the offseason, threw three scoreless innings after Arizona took a 6-4 lead in the third.
Arizona pitchers walked 10 batters, one shy of the club record.
The Cubs have won 12 consecutive road games dating to last Sept. 15, matching the franchise-record streak set in 1945.
The road streak is the longest in the majors since the Los Angeles Dodgers won 13 in a row three years ago.
The Cubs send right-hander Jason Hammel to the mound Friday night against Arizona left-hander Robbie Ray in the first start of the season for both.