Kris Bryant hit his NL-best 24th home run before leaving with a bruised leg, Willson Contreras and Addison Russell also went deep, and the Cubs pounded the struggling Cincinnati Reds, 10-4, on Monday in Chicago.
Playing the NL Central’s last-place team was just what the major league-leading Cubs needed after getting outscored, 32-11, in a four-game sweep by the Mets.
The Reds, meanwhile, continued their slide. They fired pitching coach Mark Riggins in an effort to shake up a staff with the majors’ worst ERA, then lost for the 11th time in 13 games.
Bryant hit a two-run drive in the second inning and scored three times before exiting with a bruised lower left leg in the fifth. He was hurt making a catch in left field in the top half when center fielder Albert Almora Jr. ran into him.
Kyle Hendricks (7-6) gave up an unearned run and four hits in 5? innings as the Cubs started a four-game homestand on a winning note after going 4-7 on their longest trip of the season.
Zack Cozart and Eugenio Suarez hit back-to-back home runs for Cincinnati in the seventh. But with Reed struggling again, the Reds never had much of a chance.
Bryant’s towering drive to center in the second left him two homers shy of his total last season on the way to winning the NL Rookie of the Year award. He connected after going deep six times during the 11-game trip.
Brewers 1, Nationals 0 — Junior Guerra outdueled Max Scherzer, Martin Maldonado homered, and Milwaukee beat host Washington, snapping a four-game losing streak.
Guerra (6-1) allowed two hits in 7? innings, while striking out seven and walking two.
Scherzer (9-6) threw 114 pitches in six innings. He gave up a run and four hits, while striking out seven and walking three.
Mets 8, Marlins 6 — Yoenis Cespedes hit a tiebreaking, two-run double off Fernando Rodney in the eighth, and host New York overcame a six-run deficit to beat Miami and extend its winning streak to five.
Miami took a 6-0 lead against Matt Harvey, who lasted 3? innings in his second straight early exit.
Travis d'Arnaud and Curtis Granderson started the comeback with solo homers off Tom Koehler. Jeurys Familia pitched the ninth for his major league-leading 29th save, converting his 45th consecutive regular-season opportunity dating to last August.
Dodgers 7, Orioles 5 — Corey Seager tripled and scored the tiebreaking run on Justin Turner’s sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to lead Los Angeles to its fifth straight victory.
Chase Utley had three hits and drove in two runs for the Dodgers, who have won 10 straight at home after rallying to claim the opener in just Baltimore’s second regular-season trip to Dodger Stadium.
Yasiel Puig and Yasmani Grandal hit back-to-back homers in the second inning for the Dodgers.
J.J. Hardy and Joey Rickard drove in two runs apiece for the AL East-leading Orioles, who have lost five straight after a four-game sweep in Seattle.
Joe Blanton (4-2) pitched the seventh, and Kenley Jansen finished for his 25th save in 28 chances.
Seager extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a fourth-inning RBI single. His streak is the longest in the NL this season and the third-longest by a rookie in the Dodgers’ tenure in Los Angeles.
Blue Jays 6, Royals 2 — Aaron Sanchez (9-1) pitched eight innings to win his eighth straight decision, Josh Donaldson and Darwin Barney each hit two-run singles in a four-run seventh, and host Toronto beat Kansas City in a rematch of last year’s ALCS.
Troy Tulowitzki had two hits, his third multi-hit game in the past four, as the Blue Jays won a rematch of last year’s ALCS, which Kansas City won in six games.
White Sox 8, Yankees 2 — Tim Anderson and Dioner Navarro each hit a two-run homer off CC Sabathia (5-6), helping James Shields (4-9) and host Chicago beat New York.
Chicago had a string of 15 consecutive solo shots, matching a franchise record, before Anderson connected in the third inning, tying it at 2. Brett Lawrie hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the fifth before Navarro belted a drive to left field for his fifth homer.
Giants 3, Rockies 1 — Angel Pagan hit a two-run homer and Buster Posey also connected to back Jake Peavy as host San Francisco beat Colorado.
Peavy (5-7) struck out six over 6? innings to bounce back from his third-shortest outing of the season.
Pirates 4, Cardinals 2 — Gregory Polanco homered twice and Jonathon Niese (7-6) turned in his best start in almost a month to lead Pittsburgh over host St. Louis.
Polanco’s two-run homer in the sixth off Carlos Martinez (7-6) put the Pirates ahead to stay, 2-1. He added a solo shot in the eighth for the first two-homer game of his career.
Astros 2, Mariners 1 — Lance McCullers (4-2) struck out 10 in seven strong innings and George Springer homered for the second straight day as host Houston defeated Seattle.
Seattle starter Wade Miley (6-5) yielded seven hits and two runs in 6? innings for his third straight loss.
Rays 4, Angels 2 — Logan Morrison homered and drove in two runs to help Tampa Bay end a four-game losing streak with a victory over visiting Los Angeles. The Angels have lost 12 of 14.
Matt Moore (5-5) allowed two runs and six hits in 6? innings.
Athletics 3, Twins 1 — Coco Crisp snapped a seventh-inning tie with a two-run single, and visiting Oakland ended a four-game losing streak with a victory over Minnesota.
Kendall Graveman pitched effectively into the seventh to stop a recent slide by the A’s rotation. He allowed three hits and one run in 6? innings.
Phillies 8, Braves 2 — Jerad Eickhoff (6-9) pitched neatly into the eighth inning, Odubel Herrera and Maikel Franco hit two-run homers, and host Philadelphia beat Atlanta.
Eickhoff gave up two runs and five hits, striking out eight in 7? innings to win for the fourth time in five decisions.
