ST. LOUIS (AP) - Junior Lake homered, doubled twice and drove in six runs as the Chicago Cubs broke loose, routing St. Louis 17-5 Monday night and forcing the Cardinals to finish with infielder Daniel Descalso as a relief pitcher.
After the Cubs totaled just four runs while getting swept in a three-game series at Atlanta over the weekend, Emilio Bonifacio scored five times himself in this romp over the Cardinals.
Chicago had lost seven of eight overall and has the worst record in the league at 13-24, but is 4-3 against the defending NL champions.
The Cubs hit for the cycle in the first five batters - Bonifacio doubled, Anthony Rizzo singled, Starlin Castro tripled and Mike Olt’s two-run homer capped a four-run first inning.
Cardinals reliever Randy Choate gave up six runs in the ninth and left with two outs. Descalso made his first pro pitching appearance and retired the only batter he faced, getting Olt on a fly ball.
Travis Wood (3-4) beat St. Louis for the second time in three starts despite giving up five runs in six innings.
Tyler Lyons (0-3) surrendered nine runs in four innings in his fourth start in place of injured Joe Kelly.
DODGERS 6, MARLINS 5
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Yasiel Puig extended his career-best hitting streak to 12 games with his third home run in four days, a go-ahead three-run shot, and drew a bases-loaded walk in Los Angeles victory over Florida.
Dan Haren (5-1) overcame a shaky start following his 3-2 loss at Washington last Wednesday, allowing three runs and seven hits over seven innings without walking a batter after losing his previous four decisions against the Marlins.
Brian Wilson inherited a 6-3 lead from Haren and promptly gave up a leadoff walk to Christian Yelich and a home run by pinch-hitter and former Dodger Reed Johnson on the next pitch. But Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth for his 12th save.
Yelich helped stake Tom Koehler (3-3) to a 3-1 lead with a solo homer in the third, but the Marlins’ right-hander never made it through the fourth.
GIANTS 4, BRAVES 2
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Tim Lincecum struck out 11 in his best start of the year for San Francisco and Tyler Colvin backed him with a home run and a go-ahead, two-run triple in the seventh inning.
Lincecum (3-2) left to a roaring standing ovation after pitching a season-high 7 2-3 innings in his first start of eight getting past the sixth.
B.J. Upton hit a tying solo homer in the fifth, then was caught stealing on replay review as the potential go-ahead run in the top of the seventh.
Upton hit a one-out double and was ruled to have stolen third on a slide below a reaching Pablo Sandoval. Giants manager Bruce Bochy challenged the call by third base umpire Dana DeMuth, and it was overturned in 2 minutes, 7 seconds.
NATIONALS 6, DIAMONDBACKS 5
PHOENIX (AP) - Pinch-hitter Kevin Frandsen and Danny Espinosa each hit solo homers in the ninth inning, helping Washington rally past Arizona in Matt Williams’ return to the desert.
Williams was a fixture in Arizona before becoming Washington’s manager this offseason.
His new team scored four runs early, shut down for four innings, and tied it when Espinosa hit the second pitch of the ninth by Addison Reed (1-3) just over the wall in right.
Frandsen put the Nationals up by lining his second career pinch-hit homer to left and Rafael Soriano stranded a runner at second in the ninth for his eighth save.
Tyler Clippard (3-2) pitched a scoreless inning, Ian Desmond hit a two-run homer and Tyler Moore added a solo shot for Washington.
A.J. Pollock hit a two-run homer and Aaron Hill had three hits for Arizona.
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