Kyle Hendricks pitched eight terrific innings, Kyle Schwarber homered for the second straight game and Kris Bryant added a solo shot in his return to the lineup to help the Chicago Cubs avoid a sweep with a 2-1 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday night.
The game included a scary and jarring moment when a young fan sitting near third base was hit by a foul line drive off the bat of Albert Almora Jr. in the fourth inning. A photo taken by The Associated Press showed the girl apparently conscious and crying as she was whisked away and nearby fans looked on.
After the game, the Astros issued a statement saying the fan was taken to a hospital but did not disclose any further details on her condition.
Almora, the Cubs' center fielder, and other players from both teams were visibly shaken by the scene.
Still upset after the game, a somber Almora said he received ''unofficial updates'' on the girl's condition but was advised not to share any details.
Hendricks (5-4) allowed four hits and one run with seven strikeouts for his fourth straight win. Steve Cishek worked a perfect ninth for his fifth save.
Schwarber got things going for the Cubs with his second leadoff homer this season. He sent the third pitch from Wade Miley (5-3) into left-center for his 10th home run.
There were two outs in the third when Bryant, who missed the previous two games after an outfield collision with Jason Heyward on Sunday, homered to straightaway center field to make it 2-0.
Alex Bregman doubled to start the Houston fourth before advancing to third on a single by Michael Brantley. The Astros cut the lead to 2-1 when Bregman scored on a sacrifice fly by Josh Reddick.
But the Astros had trouble stringing hits together apart from in that inning and went 1 for 5 with runners in scoring position as they played without injured stars Jose Altuve, George Springer and Carlos Correa.
Miley yielded six hits and two runs while striking out a season-high nine in seven innings. The loss ended his four-game winning streak.
Yu Darvish starts Friday in the opener of a three-game series at St. Louis. Darvish (2-3, 5.40 ERA) allowed 12 hits and six runs in a season-high seven innings of an 8-6 win against the Reds last time out.
>>Sox Outslug Royals
Six innings after being beaned with a pitch from Kansas City starter Glenn Sparkman, Tim Anderson doubled in the go-ahead run in the eighth, lifting the Chicago White Sox to an 8-7 victory over the Royals on Wednesday night.
Jose Abreu hit a three-run homer, Yoan Moncada also connected and the White Sox swept a three-game series for the first time this season.
Sparkman struck Anderson in the bill of his helmet in the second with nobody out, a runner on first and the White Sox leading 2-1. Anderson's helmet was knocked off his head, and plate umpire Mark Carlson immediately ejected the 27-year-old right-hander.
Last month, he was hit by Kansas City's Brad Keller in the backside after an elaborate bat flip on a home run in his previous at-bat. That sparked a benches-clearing scuffle. Keller was suspended five games and Anderson for one.
Jorge Soler homered and drove in three runs for Kansas City.
Kelvin Herrera (2-3) got the win despite giving up two runs and Alex Colome got the final three outs for his 11th save. He saved all three games of the series.
Ian Kennedy (0-2) took the loss.
After Sparkman was ejected, Yolmer Sanchez greeted Jorge Lopez with an RBI single, scoring Eloy Jimenez from second base. Charlie Tilson then made it 4-1 with an RBI groundout. Abreu's three-run smash made it 7-1.
Kansas City put together a four-run sixth against a tiring Reynaldo Lopez (career-high 118 pitches) to pull within 7-5. The Royals then tied the game with two runs in the eighth off Herrera.
Manny Banuelos (2-4, 7.71 ERA) makes his seventh start of the season Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series with Cleveland. RHP Carlos Carrasco (4-5, 4.60) pitches for the Indians.
>>Phillies Blast Cardinals
Bryce Harper hit his 10th homer, his 200th career double and drove in four before fouling a ball off his foot and exiting in the fifth inning, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 11-4 following a rain delay Wednesday night.
The hot-hitting Harper had his second straight multihit, multi-RBI game against the Cardinals. He drove a two-run homer to left-center in the third and followed an inning later with a two-run hustle a double. Harper hit a chopper that rolled into right - and he kept motoring. He slid head-first to beat the tag and slapped his hands in celebration of the milestone hit.
Aaron Nola (6-0) struck out eight over seven innings, a needed lift to save a bullpen depleted by injuries. Scott Kingery and Maikel Franco hit back-to-back homers in the fifth, and Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run shot two batters later to blow the game open.
Matt Weiters homered for the Cardinals, who lost their third straight game and seven of their last 10.
Dakota Hudson (3-3, 4.22 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals in the series finale Thursday against Phillies RHP Jerad Eickhoff (2-2, 3.86).
