Urías stars as Orioles beat Cubs 4-2 for 9th straight win

CHICAGO (AP) — Ramón Urías hit a two-run homer and made a big defensive play, and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Chicago Cubs 4-2 on Tuesday night for their ninth straight victory.

Jorge Mateo also homered as Baltimore (44-44) reached .500 for the first time this season. It's the longest win streak for the Orioles since the franchise won 13 straight in September 1999.

Baltimore right-hander Jordan Lyles (6-7) pitched seven innings of two-run ball in his second straight win. Jorge López, the Orioles' lone All-Star selection, worked the ninth for his 17th save in 21 chances.

All-Star Ian Happ homered for Chicago, which dropped its fifth in a row. Adrian Sampson (0-1) allowed three runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Baltimore trailed 2-1 in the fourth before Urías almost cleared the left-field bleachers with a two-run drive for his seventh homer.

The Cubs trailed 3-2 in the sixth and had Seiya Suzuki at third with one out. But Urías gloved Nico Hoerner's liner inches off the ground and trotted to third to complete the double play.

Mateo went deep in the seventh against Brandon Hughes. It was his seventh homer of the season.

WORTH NOTING

The Orioles went 52-110 last season. According to STATS, they are the second big league team in history to lose 110-plus games one season and then have at least a nine-game win streak the following year. The Louisville Colonels went 27-111 in 1889 before posting win streaks of 12, 11 and 10 games in 1890.

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