Field Level Media
Sep 2, 2018
Javier Baez recorded his 30th home run and 100th RBI on the same swing of the bat in the sixth inning Sunday afternoon, helping the Chicago Cubs complete a weekend demolition of the Philadelphia Phillies with a 8-1 shellacking in Philadelphia.
Jon Lester survived two three-hit innings to throw six shutout innings, sending the Cubs (81-55) to the 10th win in their last 12 games.
Baez became the first Cubs middle infielder to record a 30-homer/100-RBI season since Ryne Sandberg in 1990 when he hit a solo homer off Phillies starter Aaron Nola (15-4) to put the Cubs up 3-0.
His 30 homers and 100 RBIs are both career-highs.
Baez's homer was the Cubs' third off Nola. Daniel Murphy slugged his ninth of the season in the third inning to open the scoring, before Anthony Rizzo made it 2-0 in the fourth with his 23rd.
Nola was pulled after giving up a fourth run on Kyle Schwarber's RBI triple with two outs in the sixth. He was charged with four runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings.
The right-hander walked two and struck out 11 in his shortest outing since July 24.
The Cubs tacked on four more runs against the Philadelphia bullpen in the eighth when Baez tripled, Rizzo singled him home, Kris Bryant walked, Willson Contreras walked, Ian Happ smacked a two-run double and Albert Almora Jr. hit a sacrifice fly.
Lester (15-5) managed to blank the Phillies for six innings despite allowing eight hits. He struck out seven and did not walk a batter.
The Cubs caught a break in the last of the first when Phillies leadoff batter Roman Quinn doubled to left-center but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple by Schwarber, the left fielder.
Jose Bautista and Carlos Santana had singles later in the inning, but the Phillies failed to score.
Down 2-0 in the fourth, Philadelphia loaded the bases on hits by Asdrubal Cabrera, Scott Kingery and Jorge Alfaro, but again couldn't get anyone the final 90 feet.
The Phillies' only run came in the bottom of the ninth when Alfaro's two-out, two-strike double scored Kingery, who had singled.
Rizzo had two hits, scored three runs and drove in two for the Cubs, who bounced back from a 2-1 loss to the Phillies in the series opener with a 7-1 win on Saturday.
Baez finished with two hits and two runs scored, while Happ complemented his two hits with two RBIs.
Cabrera, Kingery and Alfaro had two hits apiece for the Phillies (72-64), who fell four games back in the NL East when Atlanta beat Pittsburgh later Sunday.
--Field Level Media