Jon Lester bounced back from the shortest start of his career by allowing only one run in seven innings and Chicago stopped Atlanta's ninth-inning comeback to give the Cubs a 4-3 win over the Braves on Monday night.
Wade Davis allowed one-out singles to Brandon Phillips and Freddie Freeman before Phillips scored from third on a wild pitch. Matt Kemp followed with a run-scoring single before pinch-runner Lane Adams stole second and moved to third on Tyler Flowers' fly ball to the warning track in center field.
Following an intentional walk to pinch-hitter Matt Adams, pinch-runner Dansby Swanson stole second, leaving runners on second and third. Davis walked Sean Rodriguez, playing in his first game of the season, to load the bases.
Johan Camargo's fly ball to shallow left ended the game.
Ben Zobrist gave Chicago a 2-1 lead with a two-run single in the fifth. Anthony Rizzo hit his 23rd homer to center in the seventh, and Addison Russell drove in Javier Baez with a pinch-hit double in the eighth.
Lester (6-6) allowed one run in his first win since June 24. He added some offensive highlights to his big night. He hit a third-inning double and stole second - the first of his career - following a sixth-inning walk.
The Cubs, coming off a sweep of Baltimore, have won four straight and trail first-place Milwaukee by 3 1/2 games in the NL Central. Chicago began the night only one-half game ahead of the Braves in the NL wild-card race.
Julio Teheran (7-7) allowed two runs and five hits and four walks in six innings, leaving him 1-7 in 10 home starts. He is 6-0 on the road.
John Lackey (5-9, 5.20) is expected to come off the disabled list to make Tuesday night's start. He went on the DL with right foot plantar fasciitis following his previous start on July 5.
Braves rookie Sean Newcomb (1-4, 426) will make his seventh start, and his first against Chicago. Newcomb has allowed a combined 11 runs in 7 1/3 innings in losing his past two starts.
>>Hendricks Throws Five Perfect Innings at AA Tennessee
Chicago Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks threw five perfect innings Monday while making his second rehab appearance for Double-A Tennessee.
Hendricks, who led the majors last year with a 2.13 ERA for the World Series champions, was optimistic he could be ready to rejoin the Cubs. Hendricks hasn't pitched for Chicago since June 4 because of tendinitis in his right hand.
The right-hander struck out three and threw 43 of his 63 pitches for strikes against the Mobile BayBears, a Los Angeles Angels affiliate.
Hendricks says "there was no soreness after the last start. Hopefully if there's no soreness tomorrow, I should be good to go."
The 27-year-old Hendricks is 4-3 with a 4.09 ERA in 11 starts for the Cubs. He went 16-8 last year and finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting.
