CHICAGO -- In a game where the Cubs hit several mammoth drives, David Ross' smash against an advertising sign beyond the left-field bleachers stood out.
His 100th career home run was something to behold, and it wasn't just because of the distance it traveled. It was the feelings it generated.
Ross' drive broke open a game in which Jorge Soler and Kris Bryant hit long home runs to back Jon Lester and lead Chicago to a 6-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on a rainy Friday afternoon.
"He makes our clubhouse better, he makes our guys better," said Lester, Ross' teammate in Boston and Chicago. "He knows how to go about pushing buttons with certain guys and getting the best out of them. I know that's true of myself."
The big home runs helped the Cubs win their third consecutive after dropping eight of 12, and they came before two late delays -- for 56 minutes in the top of the seventh inning and for 37 minutes at the start of the ninth.
Soler broke a 1-1 tie with his shot halfway up the video board in left leading off the fourth. Ross added a three-run home run off the Nuveen sign beyond the left-field bleachers in the inning to give the Cubs a 5-1 lead, and Bryant chased Adam Morgan (1-3) with a towering shot to start the fifth.
"It's nice to have a nice round number -- 100 in the show," Ross said. "That's pretty cool for me. But it affected the game. That's even better, right?"
Lester (5-3) rebounded from his shortest start of the season by giving up 2 runs -- 1 earned -- and 6 hits while pitching into the seventh.
Ben Zobrist extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a double and single, and the Cubs started a 10-game homestand on a winning note.
Lester improved to 5-0 against the Phillies after getting knocked out in the third inning in a loss at San Francisco last week. The left-hander struck out seven, walked two and left to a loud ovation after Obudel Herrera doubled with one out in the seventh.
As Pedro Strop took his warmup pitches, heavy rain came and sent the ground crew rushing to cover the field.
The Phillies lost for the fifth time in seven games. And Morgan -- who gave up six runs and eight hits -- dropped his third consecutive start.
"He threw some good changeups, but quite a few bad ones," Manager Pete Mackanin said. "He really didn't have command of any of his pitches."
The Cubs held slumping slugger Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward out of the lineup but still showed plenty of pop.
Soler, who came in with a .204 average, started the power display with his huge drive, and there was more of that when Ross knocked his home run off the second "N" in the Nuveen sign. The veteran was so pumped up he even shimmied in the dugout after he circled the bases.
Bryant's drive to Waveland Avenue beyond the left-field bleachers was no less impressive. The home run was his fourth in seven games and 11th overall.
As for Ross?
"I run in the outfield before the game, and ever since I hit 99, all I hear is, 'Hit a homer -- grandpa,' " he said.
Philadelphia's Maikel Franco was back in the lineup and said "everything is good" after leaving with a sprained right ankle in the seventh of the Phillies' 8-5 victory at Detroit on Wednesday.
Maddon said Heyward had no setbacks after playing Tuesday and Wednesday at St. Louis. He missed the previous three games because of a bruise on his right side near his ribs.
Up next, the Cubs send RHP Kyle Hendricks (2-4, 3.30 ERA) to the mound, with RHP Jerad Eickhoff (2-6, 3.86) starting for Philadelphia. Hendricks took the loss at San Francisco on Sunday despite holding the Giants to one run in 5 1/3 innings. Eickhoff pitched five-hit ball over seven innings in a 5-0 victory over Atlanta on Sunday.
CARDINALS 6, NATIONALS 2 Stephen Piscotty hit a grand slam off Max Scherzer during a five-run third inning as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Washington Nationals. Coming off consecutive ineffective starts, Jaime Garcia held Washington to 2 runs and 7 hits over 7 innings. The Cardinals had lost four of five.
METS 6, DODGERS 5 Curtis Granderson homered leading off the bottom of the ninth inning to give the New York Mets a victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Chase Utley hit a tying threerun double off Jeurys Familia with two outs in a four-run ninth inning for the Dodgers.
BRAVES 4, MARLINS 2 Nick Markakis hit a tie-breaking, two-run single off third baseman Nick Prado’s glove with two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth inning and the Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins for a rare home victory. The Braves snapped a four-game losing streak and improved to only 3-20 in home games.
BREWERS 9, REDS 5 Aaron Hill hit two solo home runs, Jonathan Lucroy added a solo shot and drove in three runs, and the Milwaukee Brewers outslugged Cincinnati, handing the Reds their 11th consecutive loss.
ROCKIES 5, GIANTS 2 Tyler Chatwood threw seven masterful innings, Charlie Blackmon had one of Colorado’s three run-scoring doubles and the Rockies beat San Francisco to end the Giants’ 10-game winning streak against NL West teams.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
ROYALS 7, WHITE SOX 5 Eric Hosmer had three hits, including a home run, and drove in four runs as the Kansas City Royals rallied to defeat the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox used five pitchers in the Royals’ four-run seventh with Matt Albers (1-4) taking the loss. The inning included a double by former Arkansas Razorback Brett Eibner, his first major league hit, and Whit Merrifield’s two-run single.
BLUE JAYS 7, RED SOX 5 Josh Donaldson hit two home runs and drove in five runs as the Toronto Blue Jays snapped a five-game home losing streak with a victory over the Boston Red Sox. The reigning AL MVP was 4 for 5, starting the scoring with a first-inning solo shot, then providing the winning margin with a two-run drive in the eighth.
ORIOLES 6, INDIANS 4 Chris Davis’ RBI double broke a seventh-inning tie, Manny Machado went 4 for 5 and the Baltimore Orioles ended a four-game losing streak with a victory over the Cleveland Indians. Mark Trumbo followed Davis’ clutch hit with a two-run home run.
YANKEES 4, RAYS 1 Alex Rodriguez homered for the first time since coming off the disabled list, Masahiro Tanaka pitched seven shutout innings and the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays. Rodriguez returned Thursday after missing three weeks with a strained right hamstring.
INTERLEAGUE
PIRATES 9, RANGERS 1 Jonathon Niese outpitched Cole Hamels with six strong innings, ending the Texas left-hander’s career-best winning streak at 12 games in Pittsburgh’s victory over the Rangers. Niese (5-2) threw five shutout innings before Adrian Beltre’s home run in the sixth.
Sports on 05/28/2016