>>Cubs Power Past Reds
Kyle Schwarber hit a three-run homer in the ballpark near his home, Tommy La Stella added a two-run shot while subbing for Kris Bryant, and the Chicago Cubs kept their second-half surge going with a 9-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night.
Their eighth victory in 10 games moved them 11 games over .500 for the first time this season. They've also opened their biggest lead in the NL Central, 3 1/2 games ahead of Milwaukee.
Chicago trailed the Brewers by 5 1/2 games at the All-Star break.
Mike Montgomery (4-6) allowed four hits in six shutout innings, filling in for Jon Lester in the rotation. Joey Votto, Eugenio Suarez and Scott Schebler homered in the ninth for the Reds.
Jake Arrieta (13-8) has made seven straight quality starts, allowing two or fewer earned runs each game. He's gone 5-1 with a 2.00 ERA during that stretch. He allowed one hit in seven scoreless innings on July 2 at Great American Ball Park during a 6-2 win.
Sal Romano (3-5) makes his eighth start since joining the Reds rotation after the All-Star break. He's never faced the Cubs.
>>Cardinals Beat Padres
Making his third start of the season, Luke Weaver struck out 10 in seven scoreless innings to help the Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 6-2 on Wednesday night.
The Cardinals had lost three straight and six of eight following an eight-game winning streak, and had allowed at least five runs in each of the last 12 games.
San Diego's Jhoulys Chacin (11-9) allowed five runs - four earned - on six hits in 4 2-3 innings. He struck out three, walked three and hit four batters.
The Cardinals' leadoff hitters reached and scored in four of the first five innings. Three of those runs scored with two outs.
Second baseman Kolten Wong, batting in the leadoff spot with Matt Carpenter unavailable, sparked the St. Louis offense with three hits, three runs scored and two stolen bases.
The Cardinals opened the first inning with back-to-back doubles, with Tommy Pham driving in Wong, and Pham scoring on Dexter Fowler's sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
Wong led off the third with a single and scored on Jedd Gyorko's two-out infield single. Greg Garcia scored on Chacin's two-out throwing error on an errant pickoff in the fourth, making it 4-0. Fowler scored on Chacin's bases-loaded wild pitch in the fifth.
Manuel Margot's triple off reliever Seung Hwan Oh in the eighth plated the Padres' first run, making it 5-1. Cory Spangenberg hit a solo home run, his 13th, off John Brebbia in the ninth.
Luis Perdormo (6-8, 4.93), a former Cardinals minor leaguer, will make his second career appearance against his former organization Thursday night.
Carlos Martinez (10-9, 3.57) is 1-0 with a 1.98 ERA in two career starts against the Padres at Busch Stadium.
>>White Sox Edge Twins
Tim Anderson singled with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to score Avisail Garcia from second base and give the Chicago White Sox a 4-3 comeback victory over the Minnesota Twins.
Chicago tied the game at 3 in the eighth inning on back-to-back one-out doubles by Leury Garcia and Yoan Moncada.
Avisail Garcia led off the ninth with a single and was sacrificed to second. Following an intentional walk to Yolmer Sanchez, Anderson - who was 0 for 3 before the ninth - produced the first walk-off hit of his career.
Jorge Polanco homered for the fourth straight game and drove in two runs for the Twins.
Danny Farquhar (3-2) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win. Trevor Hildenberger (2-2) took the loss.
Minnesota starter Ervin Santana allowed two runs (one earned) and three hits in seven strong innings and appeared headed for his 14th win before Chicago rallied.
Jose Berrios (11-5, 3.99 ERA) faces LHP Derek Holland (6-13, 6.28) in the finale of the five-game series Thursday night. Berrios has 10 quality starts in 18 starts this season. Holland is 0-2 with a 27.00 ERA (14 earned runs in 4 2/3 innings) in his last two starts.
