Cubs, Sox both pick up wins
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Frank Schwindel homered for the second straight game, Ian Happ added a towering homer into the third deck, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Minnesota Twins 3-1 on Tuesday night.
Manuel Rodríguez (3-2) earned the win for Chicago, working two scoreless innings in relief of starter Zach Davies. Rodríguez, Codi Heuer, Adam Morgan and Rowan Wick combined for 3 2/3 scoreless innings with Wick earning his first save of the season.
Cubs second baseman Matt Duffy ended a threat for Minnesota in the eighth when he tracked down Max Kepler’s pop-up into medium right field, spun and threw Luis Arraez out at the plate trying to score from third.
John Gant (4-9) pitched five innings and allowed two runs on three hits in his third start for the Twins since coming over from the St. Louis Cardinals for J.A. Happ at the trade deadline.
Minnesota has surprised with its first winning month of the season in August, including winning four straight home series against teams in either first or sec- ond place. Meanwhile, Chicago is 8-21 since the trade deadline. White Sox Yasmani Grandal and Jose Abreu homered, and five relievers combined for 4 2/3 innings of two-hit ball as the Chicago White Sox beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 on Tuesday night.
Grandal, who hit a solo homer to lead off the second, is batting .500 (7-for -14) with four homers and 11 RBIs in four games since returning from the 10-day injured list.
Abreu hit his 28th homer in the third. He finished with a .330 batting average, 10 home runs and 25 RBIs in 28 games in August.
The Sox (77-56), who hold a 10-game lead in the AL Central, won for the fourth time in five games. The Pirates (48-84) lost for the fourth time in six games.
White Sox starter Lucas Giolito was pulled with one out in the fifth due to left hamstring tightness. Giolito squatted awkwardly to field Ben Gamel’s infield hit and required medical attention.
Colin Moran hit a game- tying single off reliever Ryan Tepera.
That was the last hit by the Pirates until one out in the ninth when Kevin Newman singled.
Tepera, Michael Kopech (4- 2), Aaron Bummer, Craig Kimbrel and Liam Hendricks blanked the Pirates the rest of the way.
The White Sox regained the lead for good in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk by Brian Goodwin off reliever Chasen Shreve, and Leury Garcia added a sacrifice fly.
Giolito, who threw a no- hitter against the Pirates on Aug. 25, 2020, didn’t allow a run through the first four innings.