Pittsburgh: Addison Russell set a career high with four hits while Jason Heyward homered for the third time in four games and drove in four runs as the Chicago Cubs jumped on the Pittsburgh Pirates early in a 14-3 victory on Monday night.
Ben Zobrist added three RBIs for Chicago as the defending World Series champions won for the fifth time in six games. Anthony Rizzo had three hits to extend his hitting streak to 13 games.
Chicago scored four runs with two outs in the first inning off Chad Kuhl (1-2) and added five more in the second to give Brett Anderson (2-0) all the breathing room he would need.
In Milwaukee, Eric Thames homered twice to raise his major league-leading total to 10 while Hernan Perez added a three-run shot and Matt Garza pitched for the first time this season as the Brewers beat the Reds 11-7.
The left-handed batting Thames got just enough muscle on an 0-2 pitch from Amir Garrett (2-2) to slice an opposite-field, two-run homer in the second. He extended his home-run streak against the Reds this season to five consecutive games with a solo shot to right in the first. Perez’s three-run homer capped that inning.
Garza allowed one earned run on four hits. Five relievers followed and Carlos Torres (1-2) picked up the win.
Adam Jones hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the seventh inning while Hyun Soo-kim and Jonathan Schoop also went deep as the Orioles beat the Rays 6-3 on a cold, damp night at Camden Yards.
All three home runs were off Chris Archer (2-1), who gave up five runs, six hits and five walks in 6 2/3 innings. The right-hander didn’t allow a long ball in his previous four starts this season.
Baltimore trailed 3-1 before Kim and Schoop connected on successive pitches in the sixth inning. In the seventh, Archer hit Seth Smith with a pitch and Jones followed with a drive deep into the left-field seats. It was the fifth win in seven games for the Orioles, whose 13-5 record is best in the American League.
