>>Cubs Blast Pirates

Anthony Rizzo started a six-run fifth inning with his 30th homer, and the Chicago Cubs rallied for a 9-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday to take three of four games between NL playoff contenders.

The Cubs moved within two games of the wild card leaders. Should the teams end up tied at the end of the regular season, Chicago would have home-field advantage, having won the season series with 10 wins in 16 games.

Pittsburgh trails St. Louis by 4 1/2 games in the NL Central. The Cardinals play a night game against the Brewers at Milwaukee.

The Cubs turned a 4-3 deficit into a 9-4 lead with the fifth-inning outburst that included a two-run double by reliever Clayton Richard (4-2) and RBI singles by Addison Russell and Tommy La Stella.

The Cubs' Kris Bryant had his second straight three-hit games. La Stella and Russell drove in two runs each and were two of four Chicago players with two hits along with Rizzo and Dexter Fowler.

Richard allowed two runs in 3 1-3 innings in relief of starter Kyle Hendricks, who gave up four runs on three home runs in three innings. Travis Wood struck out five in two perfect innings for his second save.

Charlie Morton (9-8) lost for the fourth time in five starts as he was rocked for six runs - five earned - and nine hits in four-plus innings.

Gregory Polanco and Pedro Alvarez both homered while finishing with two hits and two RBIs for the Pirates. Travis Snider also went deep while Neil Walker and Jordy Mercer had two hits each.

Polanco hit an RBI single in the seventh and scored on Walker's double to pull the Pirates to 9-6.

The Pirates went ahead 4-3 in the third inning when Polanco led off with his ninth home run and Alvarez hit a two-run shot, his 24th.

The Cubs built 3-0 lead as a first-inning run came home on a double play grounder then Russell and La Stella had RBI doubles in the second.

Snider hit a solo homer in the second, his fourth of the season and first since the Pirates re-signed him last month after he was released by the Baltimore Orioles.

RF Jorge Soler was activated from the 15-day disabled list after being out since Aug. 24 with a strained left oblique.

Mercer replaced INF Jung Ho Kang in the top of the first inning when the rookie sustained a knee injury as Chris Coughlan slid into him while unsuccessfully attempting to break up a double play.

The Cubs are at home and open a three-game series and 10-game homestand Friday against St. Louis as RHP Dan Haren (9-9, 3.87 ERA) start against Cardinals RHP Lance Lynn (11-10, 3.17).

>>Cardinals Double Up Brewers

Startled at the sight of his line drive hitting Brewers pitcher Jimmy Nelson in the head, Tommy Pham felt himself freeze for a moment.

Pham wound up with a double when the ball ricocheted off the back of Nelson's head and down the left field line, a scary sight in the St. Louis Cardinals' 6-3 win over Milwaukee on Thursday night.

Prone face down on the mound for about a minute, Nelson later walked off the field and was hospitalized overnight for observation. A CT scan showed a contusion, and Pham was relieved it wasn't a more severe injury.

John Lackey pitched seven shutout innings as the NL Central leaders completed a three-game sweep. The Cardinals extended their winning streak to four and now lead Pittsburgh by five games in the division race.

Pham tripled, doubled and singled, driving in two runs and scoring twice as St. Louis sent the Brewers to their sixth loss in a row.

Pham's liner struck Nelson in the third inning. Pham got prompted by first base coach Chris Maloney to keep running.

Lackey (12-9) scattered five hits and two walks while striking out eight. He has a 2.23 ERA in his last 17 starts dating to June 15.

Matt Carpenter got three hits, including a home run. He singled to open the game and scored when Pham followed with a triple.

Carpenter doubled and scored in the third and hit his 23rd homer into the second level of the right-field bleachers in the sixth.

Jean Segura hit a three-run homer with two outs in the Milwaukee ninth off Mitch Harris.

St. Louis plays a day game to open a three-game series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Lance Lynn (11-10) will start and is 0-2 with a 9.72 ERA in his last two starts, giving up nine earned runs in just 8 1-3 innings.

>>A's Double Up White Sox

Billy Butler's ninth-inning drive cleared the right-field wall and Avisail Garcia's glove - barely.

Butler's three-run homer off David Robertson lifted the Oakland Athletics over the Chicago White Sox 4-2 Thursday. At first, Butler was not sure he had a hit.

Chicago led 2-1 but Robertson (6-4) blew a save for the seventh time in 36 chances. Brett Lawrie doubled, Danny Valencia singled, and Butler hit his 13th homer.

Garcia jumped at the wall and appeared to snag Butler's drive, but the ball fell out of his glove and into Oakland's bullpen as Garcia hit the fence.

Sean Doolittle (1-0) pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth. Rookie Sean Nolin allowed two runs and five hits in five innings in his third start since being recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Sept. 4.

White Sox starter Jose Quintana pitched crisp four-hit ball through seven innings and Mike Olt homered for the second straight day.

Quintana allowed one run, struck out six and walked one. In his last 20 innings, the left-hander has allowed two earned runs and 15 hits, while fanning 16.

Ace lefty Chris Sale (12-9, 3.55 ERA) will try to rebound against Indians RHP Cody Anderson (4-3, 3.68 ERA) on Friday night in the opener of a three-game set at Cleveland. Sale gave up six runs and nine hits in three innings against Minnesota last Sunday, his shortest outing this season.

>>Pirates Lose INF Kang For Season

In Thursday afternoon's loss to the Cubs (CHC 9, PIT 6), the Pirates lost infielder Jung Ho Kang to a knee injury when Chris Coghlan slid into him on a take-out slide at second base. Kang remained on the ground for several minutes before being helped off the field.

The Pirates initially announced it as a knee injury but have not given any further details. Kang released a statement Thursday evening acknowledging a "serious" injury, and he absolved Coghlan of any blame.

The Pirates have since confirmed Kang had surgery Thursday night for a "displaced lateral tibial plateau fracture and lateral meniscal repair." His estimated timetable for a return is 6-8 months. Devastating.