PHOENIX (AP) — Eduardo Rodriguez struck out nine in seven innings, Jordan Lawlar homered and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0 on Wednesday.
Rodriguez (14-4) outpitched Cubs starter Matthew Boyd (8-3), allowing two hits to win his fourth straight start. Relievers Brandyn Garcia and Juan Morillo completed the two-hitter, with Morillo earning his second save.
The Cubs, who occupy the top NL wild-card spot, have lost five of seven.
Lawlar
led off the sixth inning with his third homer for the only run against Boyd, who allowed three hits with five strikeouts and two walks in six innings.
Ryan Waldschmidt had a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
Rodriguez tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings against Cincinnati in his last start and didn't allow a hit against the Cubs until Tyrone Taylor's bloop single to lead off the fifth inning
Pete Crow-Armstrong led off the sixth with a double and moved to third with one out, but Rodriguez stranded him there — after a bit of controversy.
With two outs, Crow-Armstrong moved way down the line as if he were stealing home and Rodriguez threw a quick pitch, forcing him back. Crow-Armstrong was adamant that Rodriguez balked and had to be restrained by third base coach Quintin Berry after the umpiring crew discussed the play and concluded that Rodriguez did not balk.
Boyd was sharp early against the Diamondbacks after allowing 11 earned runs in 11 1/3 innings his previous two starts.
The left-hander erased walks with inning-ending double plays in the second and third, and Taylor cut down Nolan Arenado at second from deep in the left-field corner in the fourth.
Cubs LHP David Peterson (7-7 5.17 ERA) will pitch the opener of a three-game series against visiting Cincinnati on Friday. Arizona had yet to name a starter for Thursday's opener of a four-game series at San Francisco.
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