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Diamondbacks Close Out Cubs

Zac Gallen pitched five effective innings, Daulton Varsho homered and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1 on Thursday night, stopping a six-game slide.

 

Gallen (3-0) allowed one run and two hits, continuing his strong start to the season. The right-hander issued three walks and hit a batter, but he wiggled out of a jam in his last inning while earning his first win in his fourth career start against Chicago.

 

The Cubs got Marcus Stroman back from the COVID-19 injured list, but they went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. Yan Gomes doubled home Willson Contreras in the fourth for the team's only run in the opener of a four-game series.

 

Stroman (1-4) allowed three runs, two earned, and five hits in five innings in his first start since May 1. The right-hander struck out six and walked none.

 

Stroman retired his first nine batters, but Varsho drove his first pitch of the fourth deep to center for his seventh homer. Josh Rojas and David Peralta tacked on two-out RBI singles for a 3-0 lead.

 

The Cubs loaded the bases in the fifth on Christopher Morel's 11-pitch walk in his third big league game, Andrelton Simmons' eight-pitch walk after falling behind 0-2 and a hit by pitch for Contreras. But Ian Happ bounced to second on the 10th pitch of his at-bat, ending the inning.

 

Sean Poppen, Joe Mantiply, Ian Kennedy and Mark Melancon then combined for four innings of two-hit relief. Kennedy struck out Patrick Wisdom with runners on second and third in the eighth, and Melancon earned his eighth save.

 

Right-handers Humberto Castellanos and Kyle Hendricks pitch on Friday afternoon. Castellanos (2-1, 4.15 ERA) tossed 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball in a no-decision against the Cubs at Chase Field on Sunday. Hendricks (2-3, 4.03 ERA) has permitted just one run in 14 1/3 innings over his last two starts for Chicago.

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