Rangers beat Cubs 8-2, Taillon falls to 0-2
Ninth-place hitter Bubba Thompson had a triple, double and 2 RBIs, and the Texas Rangers ripped the Cubs 8-2 on Sunday at Wrigley Field to end a two-game slide.
Leadoff man Marcus Semien doubled among 2 hits and drove in 3 runs as the Rangers rebounded from an error-filled 10-3 loss on Saturday to salvage the final game of a three-game set at Wrigley Field. Corey Seager and Travis Jankowski each knocked in a run with a double, and Jonah Heim had 2 hits.
Edwin Rios cracked a 2-run homer, his first hit in three games with the Cubs this season after signing as a free agent in February. That was the only scoring off Texas starter Jon Gray (1-1), who scattered 6 hits in 5⅔ innings for the win.
Relievers Will Smith, Cole Ragans and José Leclerc followed with 3⅓ scoreless, 1-hit innings.
Thompson appeared in his third game and entered with just 1 hit, a double, in 3 previous at bats. The fleet center fielder also scored twice in this one and reached on an error.
Jameson Taillon (0-2) allowed 5 runs, 3 earned, on 6 hits in 5 innings in his second start with Chicago after signing a four-year contract in free agency. The right-hander struck out seven and walked only one, but was hurt by some soft, well-placed Texas hits and 2 Cubs errors as Chicago's three-game winning streak ended.
The Rangers took a 4-0 lead in the second.
Jankwoski drove in the first run with a ground-rule double. Heim scored to make it 2-0 when third-baseman Nick Madrigal snared Thompson's smash but threw wide of first.
Semien capped the rally with a bloop double to right that dropped in off Trey Mancini's glove.
Rios' shot to the batter's eye in center in the bottom half cut it to 4-2.
The Rangers added another unearned run in the fourth, upping their lead to 5-2. Jankowski reached on first baseman Eric Hosmer's fielding error then scored on Thompson's soft double down the left-field line.
Texas tacked on three more runs against reliever Javier Assad in the sixth, scoring on Thompson's triple, Semien's single and Seager's double.
Injury update:
Cubs RHP Kyle Hendricks (shoulder strain) is slated to throw live batting practice again at the team's facility in Arizona on Monday. Hendricks hasn't pitched in a major league game since July 5.
Outfielder Seiya Suzuki (left oblique strain) and LHP Brandon Hughes (left knee inflammation) are set for additional rehab appearances with Triple-A Iowa.