Chicago, IL – Patrick Corbin won his seventh straight start as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Chicago Cubs, 8-4, in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Corbin (9-0) allowed four runs on six hits while striking out five over six innings. The left-hander became the second Diamondbacks pitcher (first lefty) to start 9-0 and first since Brandon Webb in 2008.
Wil Nieves went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored for Arizona, which had 13 hits. Gerardo Parra and Cody Ross each knocked in two runs, while Paul Goldschmidt had an RBI and scored three times.
"Right now I'm just having fun," Nieves said. "I'm glad that I can help the team. I'm just glad and blessed that I can do it with the bat."
Scott Hairston hit a two-run homer for the Cubs, who have lost two in a row since a five-game winning streak. Dioner Navarro and Edwin Jackson added an RBI apiece.
Jackson (1-8) continued to struggle on the mound, giving up seven runs -- five earned -- on 12 hits over 5 2/3 innings. He fell to 0-5 at Wrigley Field this year.
"It's probably one of the most frustrating seasons I've been through," Jackson said. "I'm a way better pitcher than I've been showing."
The Cubs got on the board in the first after loading the bases. Starlin Castro was hit by a pitch, Anthony Rizzo walked and Hairston was hit by a pitch to fill the bags with two outs. Navarro walked to force in a run.
Arizona responded with three runs in the second. Nieves reached base on an infield single, Cliff Pennington singled to left and Corbin reached first on Julio Borbon's fielding error to load the bases. Parra followed with a two-run single to right. Two batters later, Corbin scored on a wild pitch.
Jackson helped his own cause in the fourth with an RBI single.
The Diamondbacks got the run back in the fifth. With men on first and second and two outs, Nieves hit an RBI single to left.
The Cubs tied the game at four in the bottom half on Hairston's two-run homer.
Arizona scored three runs in the sixth to take the lead back. With two outs, Didi Gregorius, Martin Prado and Goldschmidt hit three straight singles to plate a run. Jason Kubel was intentionally walked to load the bases. Ross followed with a two-run single to right, making it 7-4.
Nieves added an RBI single in the eighth to account for the final margin.
Game Notes
Corbin gave up more than three earned runs for the first time this season. The Diamondbacks are 11-0 in his starts, marking the most consecutive team wins by a starter in club history ... Jackson fell to 2-3 lifetime against the Diamondbacks.
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