CHICAGO (AP) — Dansby Swanson homered twice and drove in four runs, and the Chicago Cubs beat the crosstown White Sox 7-3 on Tuesday night for their fourth consecutive victory.
Christopher Morel and Nico Hoerner also connected for the Cubs, and Kyle Hendricks pitched four-hit ball into the seventh inning. Swanson and Hoerner each had three hits, and Hoerner had two of the team’s five stolen bases.
The Cubs (49-51) won for the sixth time in seven games overall, putting them firmly on the bubble ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline. The rest of the week could go a long way in determining if the team is a seller or tries to rally into a playoff spot.
There is no question about the direction of the White Sox (41-61) after a stretch of 12 losses in 16 games. Lucas Giolito and Kendall Graveman are among a group of players who could be shipped out in the coming days.
Andrew Vaughn had two RBIs in his return to the White Sox lineup after being sidelined by a bone bruise in his left foot. Michael Kopech (4-9) allowed five runs, four earned, and nine hits in five innings in front of a sellout crowd of 37,079 at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The South Siders had a chance to get back in the game when they loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh. Yoán Moncada then hit a deep drive to right, but Seiya Suzuki made a leaping catch at the wall to take away a grand slam.
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Tim Anderson scampered home on the sacrifice fly and Vaughn followed with an RBI single, but Mark Leiter Jr. limited the damage by retiring Yasmani Grandal on a fly ball to left before striking out Jake Burger.
Hendricks (4-4) allowed three runs, struck out four and walked one in 6 1/3 innings. The crafty right-hander improved to 2-6 in 12 career starts against the White Sox.
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Adbert Alzolay struck out the side in the ninth for his 10th save.
The Cubs backed Hendricks with three runs in the second. Suzuki reached on a throwing error on shortstop Anderson before Swanson connected for his 11th homer. Morel then hit his 16th homer, a 400-foot drive to center.
Swanson added a solo shot in the fourth and an RBI single in the seventh. The All-Star shortstop is 7 for 11 with six RBIs in three games since returning Saturday after being sidelined by a bruised left heel.
DONE DEAL
The Cubs announced they had agreed to contracts with their three remaining selections from this year’s draft, including right-hander Jaxon Wiggins, a second-round pick from the University of Arkansas.
TRAINER’S ROOM
White Sox: 3B Moncada (lower back inflammation) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list, and C Carlos Pérez was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. Moncada went 0 for 3 in his first major league game since June 13. … Asked if LHP Garrett Crochet (shoulder soreness) is going to pitch again this season, manager Pedro Grifol responded: “It’s too soon to tell. I’m anticipating he will. But I haven’t sat down with the trainers to talk about his plan going forward.”
UP NEXT
Right-handers Marcus Stroman (10-7, 3.09 ERA) and Lance Lynn (6-9, 6.18 ERA) take the mound on Wednesday night. Stroman is 1-3 with a 6.46 ERA in his last five starts for the Cubs. Lynn surrendered four homers in 6 2/3 innings when the White Sox lost 9-4 at Minnesota on Friday. Stroman and Lynn both could be on the move ahead of next week’s trade deadline.
